Nightingale
by arwen01
Summary: No, this is not a love story, but it is a story about love. About those who give in into it, and the price they pay. And those who run away from it, because they are afraid, or because they do not believe they're worthy of it. She ran away. He gave in.
1. Chapter 1

**Discl: as per usual**

**Many thanks go to lauren for betaing and pre-reading this story for me. **

**Lauren, thank you for your support and great advices!**

"_It is the hour when from the boughs_

_The nightingale's high note is heard;_

_It is the hour when lovers' vows_

_Seem sweet in every whispered word;_

_And gentle winds, and waters near,_

_Make music to the lonely ear._

_Each flower the dews have lightly wet,_

_And in the sky the stars are met,_

_And on the wave is deeper blue,_

_And on the leaf a browner hue,_

_And in the heaven that clear obscure,_

_So softly dark, and darkly pure._

_Which follows the decline of day,_

_As twilight melts beneath the moon away."_

_Lord Byron_

PROLOGUE

Taking a deep breath, Elena willed herself to climb out of her car. She had been sitting in there for at least ten minutes, parked in front of the old Salvatore boarding house.

She had moved to Mystic Falls from Chicago solely for the purpose to be closer to her boyfriend Stefan, who she had been dating for the past two years. Their love was pure and romantic and everything she dreamed about as a young girl. They had shared a table at the college library and later also a room at the campus. He was her first real boyfriend and she was sure no one ever shared such a strong emotional bond as they did.

After the graduation, when the topic of moving on came up, Stefan had told her about the job in Mystic Falls; they were looking for an art teacher at the local grammar school and Elena was happy to take the offer. It wasn't her biggest dream to live her life in such a small town, especially after growing up in Chicago, but if it meant that she could be closer to the love of her life, she was willing to sacrifice some of her future dreams. She was going to live her picket fence life with the man of her dreams; and what if she wasn't going to live in a city? She had Stefan and their love was going to last forever and that was the only thing that mattered.

She had been over the moon with joy when he had finally asked her over in order to introduce her to his family, to his mother and brother to be exact. Guiseppe Salvatore was going to be away on some business trip again and due to some not yet defined family affairs, Stefan was more than happy to introduce Elena only to his mother.

Walking closer to the entrance, Elena felt nervous. The house was so big, so intimidating and graceful and she felt like an uninvited intruder in her faded jeans and a simple top covered with a jeans jacket. Maybe she should have dressed up for this meeting; but she had moved into her small apartment only a day before and all her elegant dresses were still packed. Everything was boxed in big cartons and now she regretted that she didn't make her appearance perfect for this first meeting with her hopefully future mother-in-law.

She reached for the old fashioned door bell when she realized the door was slightly ajar. Pushing against the masterfully carved door, the designs over it showing the style of the post civil war era, her art history loving mind encounting the details in a second, she slowly walked inside the hall, which was illuminated by two table lamps.

"Stefan?" She called out hesitantly.

Walking inside her gaze swept over the antique pieces of furniture in appreciation. It felt like walking into one of those European castle museums she had visited during her one summer long stay in France.

"Oh, here you are!" A kind voice interrupted her thoughts and she spun around only to meet a gorgeous lady in her fifties.

"I'm sorry for barging in…" she stuttered. "The door was open."

"Don't apologize, dear…" The woman smiled at her warmly. "Our door is open all the time because of these old locks always living their own life."

Elena felt relieved to see that this woman, Stefan's mother was kind and friendly.

"I'd invite you in for tea, but I'm sure you'd want to meet Stefan first."

"Yes." Elena nodded awkwardly.

"You can go to the backyard. Stefan went to see the new racing horse of ours to the stables. She hurt her leg yesterday and Stefan doesn't trust anyone with the aftercare."

"Um… okay."

"I'm Christina Salvatore, by the way." The woman smiled again before waving toward the hallway.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Salvatore. I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Please, call me Christina. I feel too old when someone calls me Mrs Salvatore."

"Thank you." She responded and the next moment the phone started to ring in one of the rooms.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this," Christina said apologetically. "Can you find your way to the backyard on your own, please?"

Elena nodded before turning in the direction Christina showed her. She walked through the dark hallway until she reached the backdoor. Pushing it open she was met with the most beautiful backyard, looking like it was cut out of one of Jane Austen's novels, with a terrace with a white marble railing and a Victorian styled park. There were also some buildings on both sides and since she didn't know what a proper stable would look like, she decided to take a chance with the first one on her right hand.

Walking down the white stairs from the terrace, she went to the first door that looked like a barn. It could be a stable as well, she thought.

There was some noise coming from inside and before she could think otherwise, her fingers reached for the door handle.

Of course, it wasn't a stable. The horses surely hated the sharp noise that sounded like a car crashing. She was about to close the door and to try the next one when her gaze swept around and she gasped when she realized she was looking at a toned, sweaty and _naked_ back of a dark haired man. He was bent over a circular saw cutting a log into pieces.

He was half naked, she corrected herself after she was able to catch her breath and lift her jaw from the ground. The lower half of his body was covered with black denim. She didn't want to interrupt and taking a quick look around she was sure it was a carpenter's workshop, assuming from the half finished pieces of furniture and tools being all over the place. Surely, this man was one of the employees.

She was about to turn around and leave when suddenly, the irritating screeching sound stopped. The man turned off the machine and rubbing his hands he slowly turned around.

Elena didn't know what she expected, but the penetrating stare of this man was the last thing on her mind before she'd entered this place. Her eyes danced on the beautifully toned stomach and abs of the man before lifting her eyes up, gazing longingly at the muscular chest with flat nipples with a hint of hair around them. She felt her insides melt at the sight of this man but her breath hitched only when her eyes finally met his.

As someone who loved painting, the first thing that caught Elena's attention was the unusual color of those beautifully shaped orbs. She'd say they were blue; not sure if the shade of them was cerulean, blue de France or baby blue. But as she gazed into those mesmerizing eyes she had a feeling she was gazing into the most attractive pools of grey or into almost colourless green…

She didn't even realize he had gotten closer until their chests almost collided. He wore a lazy smirk and she was amazed by the nonchalant manner as this man looked comfortable being half naked in the presence of a completely strange girl… er, woman.

She never felt anything remotely like this before. There was a strong pull between them as she took an involuntarily step towards him, like being compelled. Something in his eyes was predatory. Something in his attitude was dangerous. Something in his whole being suggested her to leave, to run and never look back.

"You must be Elena," He broke the silence and she felt her knees buckle at the colour of his voice. It was rich and fresh, slightly husky and completely alluring. "I'm Damon."

She didn't respond. She couldn't.

When Stefan had talked about his brother, she'd pictured him as a distant, boring and cold brother figure. She didn't know what Stefan's older brother would look like but this man, this vision was the last thing she had expected.

He reached out and taking her hand, he stopped for a second. They both gasped at the contact.

It was sizzling. It was stunning.

Elena found herself leaning closer, feeling like she was in a trance and the only thing she could hear was her mind chanting a sentence all over again.

… _Arms of the ocean…_

Her gaze fell on his lips and she felt her whole body respond with heat and holding her breath she saw his playful expression change as he inhaled her scent deeply.

She had never thought that blue was a warm colour.

She'd never seen blue blazing and flickering like a flame before.

Elena licked her lips nervously and she heard Damon gasp. She couldn't define what was happening to her at that moment; all she knew was this man having an insanely strong effect on her body's reaction to his closeness. Still holding her hand, their fingers entwined, and her heart beat sped up again at the intimacy of the moment.

Her eyes drifted closed as she felt his breath on her lips…

"There you are!" Stefan voice ripped them out of their lusty haze and both of them took a step back at the same time. "I see you already met my brother."

Damon's gaze hardened and Elena forced a smile onto her lips, swallowing before she turned to Stefan.

"Yeah, we should probably go…" She trailed off while tearing her gaze away. "It was nice to meet you, Damon."

"Great meeting you too, Elena," He said with an amused smile and before she could stop him, Damon reached for her hand and lifting it to his lips, he planted a soft kiss on the top of her wrist. Her heartbeat started to race again and she felt herself blush. It was so damn hard to keep still and not to pry her hand from his grasp.

"Yeah…" She needed all of her self control to stay content.

"I think we should go." She glanced at Stefan who seemed to be completely oblivious to the thick air between Damon and Elena. "Damon, Mom says don't be late again." He said in a scolding tone and Damon raised his brow in irritation. "He tends to forget himself while playing with the logs in here." He winked at Elena conspiratorially.

She let his arm sneak around her shoulder and she glanced back for the last time before the door closed. The intense look Damon'd given her left her puzzled… and trembling.

Damon was smirking.

And she felt her lips twitch in response.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lauren, you are an amazing beta and support. Thank you for being such a great friend to me.**

**I want to thank everyone who reviewed the prologue. Every single one of them made me smile. Thanks to all of you for that. **

**About this chapter: we learn more about the DE and SE dynamics. I'm truly sorry if the Stefan scenes are going to make you gag. I'm not really fond of him either lol. **

"_I saw my whole life as if I'd already lived it. An endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches. Always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter. I felt like I was standing at a great precipice, with no one to pull me back, no one who cared... or even noticed." (Titanic)_

TWO YEARS LATER

"See something you like?" Caroline's voice made Elena's lift her head up from the bridal magazine. She was flipping through the pages mindlessly at Caroline's office during the afternoon coffee they shared every Thursday, chatting and gossiping.

"Fishing for new clients?" Elena shot back with a grin.

"If you really want to know, my schedule is more than hectic and I'm booked for the next four months for every weekend in and out of town." Caroline said with a smug look. "I just really want to be the one to plan your wedding."

Elena suppressed a sigh as a wry smile showed up on her lips. Caroline was a wedding planner, so it would be only natural that she wanted to see everyone married and living their happily after.

"Not again, please…" She groaned in a hope that her friend would take the hint and drop the topic.

"Why should I stop asking you about the most obvious thing?" She raised her voice and her words were followed with wild gestures. "You and Stefan are the dream couple of Mystic Falls. Every living spirit in this town expects you two to get married already!"

"Stop exaggerating, Care." Elena tossed the magazine on the coffee table with disgust.

"I'm not exaggerating anything! It's been four years you dating Stefan and two years of being engaged to him. It's only logical to ask, don't you think?"

"The thing is…" She took a deep breath. "That I don't want to…" She caught herself before finishing the sentence.

"What?" Caroline leaned closer.

Elena squirmed in her seat as she watched her friend's determination hardening on her face; she knew she was in trouble.

"Idon'twanttogetmarried…" She mumbled with downcast eyes.

"You what?" Caroline parroted with her eyes widening comically.

"Yet! I said… I don't want to get married _yet._" She said with heat crawling up on her cheeks.

Caroline put her pen down and leaning back in her seat, she crossed her arms over her chest. Elena gulped; that look on Caroline's face was never a good sign.

"Explain."

"There's nothing to explain, really." She took a sip of her coffee, the remorse clawing at her insides. She couldn't explain why she said it.

"Elena Gilbert! Look at me and tell me what's wrong?" Caroline asked gently, making her lift her eyes. She made sure the sadness wouldn't show in her gaze.

"I don't know why I said it." She'd chosen her words carefully, avoiding her best friend's scrutinizing look. "I felt a little overwhelmed by all those wedding dresses in the magazines, I guess." She shrugged casually.

"Did you have a fight with Stefan?"

"Why would you think that?" She was confused. Stefan was the last person on Earth to initiate a fight with Elena. "No, we never argue. You know how sweet he is."

She kept staring into her cup of coffee, stirring it with the silver spoon absentmindedly. Caroline watched her for a moment, taking in her silent and composed demeanor. They were friends since the first week Elena had moved into town; as bubbly and chipper Caroline was, she felt herself being drawn to this quiet and calm girl who seemed to be so perfect for Stefan Salvatore.

During the past two years, Elena had become the one who was always mentioned as a good example of proper behaviour. Her pupils' parents loved her and she was frequently invited to parties along with Stefan. Christina, Stefan's mother, spoke about her in superlatives and decorated the hallway with Elena's still life aquarelle paintings.

"Fine, I let it go. For now." Caroline huffed in defeat.

Elena's phone started to buzz before she had a chance to reply and she felt relieved. Pulling out her cell from her purse, she smiled when she saw Stefan's name popping up on the display.

"Hey, I just wanted to check in if you are okay." His gentle tone was sweet and caring. Stefan was always like this; calling Elena frequently, talking about nothing. As he admitted it once, he loved to hear her voice.

"I'm at Caroline's." Her voice didn't reveal her irritation over his calling. Trying to sound and look casual, she clenched her fist under her purse while her tone remained soft. "Where are you?"

"I'm finished today at the company and walking to my car. Should I pick your dress from the dry cleaner's?"

"No, I can do it." She glanced at Caroline who stood up and walked to her computer, giving her the privacy she needed.

"Don't forget you have to pick your sister up from the airport before the party begins at five." He reminded her in a patronizing tone. "The dry cleaner's on my way home; I can bring it to your apartment."

"Okay." She sighed.

"And," Stefan paused for an effect. "I have a surprise for you too."

"A surprise?" She nearly groaned at the memory of all those porcelain dolls she got from Stefan. Once she mentioned she liked them and after that confession he made sure she got one every now and then. She had learned to be careful with her confessions after that.

"You'll like it, I promise." She could feel him grinning on the other end of the line.

"Okay. I'm going to like it." She caught Caroline's worrying look and shook her head. 'It's nothing,' she mouthed.

"I'll pick you at four thirty… I love you."

"Me too." She responded wryly.

She snapped her phone shut with a sigh.

"Elena, you can talk to me, you know." Caroline said softly.

"I have to go." She said after a pregnant pause.

TVD

"This party sucks."

Elena's hand snapped in her sister's direction.

"Katherine!" She whisper-yelled at her. "Don't be rude!"

"What?" Katherine shrugged feigning innocence. "I'm just being honest. I'm bored out of my mind and what the hell is this crap you gave me to drink?"

"It's called ice tea." Elena said sternly.

"And why can't I taste any alcohol in it?"

"Um… because it's a party for the honorable church members who don't prefer their afternoon tea being laced with liquor?" She sighed again. She was glad her sister had come to visit her but apparently she couldn't cope with the small town lifestyle. Living in Chicago and managing a successful fashion studio made her expectations grow more extravagant and interesting.

Katherine shot a glare at her in response.

"I'm going to find out if the honorable Mrs Lockwood has some good booze hidden in her pantry."

Elena felt bored. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and her boyfriend was awesome and just perfect.

It was the life every woman could dream about. She couldn't speak for every woman of the world, but she was sure that all those neglected and unsatisfied housewives would _kill_ for a single petal of a rose coming from their respective partners. Or for just any sign or glimpse of affection.

When Elena was twelve she thought about how simple things could make a woman happy. A brief letter left on the pillow in the morning, with a silly love poem. A romantic dinner after a hectic week, just the two of them. Watching movies together, taking long walks in the park, talking about dreams and the future. A brief kiss on the back of her neck in the morning mist, before sipping their coffee, sharing their breakfast and gazing longingly into each other's eyes…

Yes, she definitely would know how to make a woman happy, if she was a man.

It was until she met Stefan and her dreams came true.

It was the dream she dreamed about. Except the fact that one morning she woke up with a question in her mind. She was twenty-five; the best time to settle down and to live her life cut out of a Disney family movie.

_Why am I doing this?_

Why wasn't she satisfied with the possibly best future she could get out of her life? Why was she looking for excuses to prolong the time of their engagement? Why was she attending another boring party with Stefan and enjoying none of it? Why was she standing in the shadow of a tree with a glass of ice tea in her hand, wanting nothing else but to kick off her ridiculously high heels and walk in the grass barefoot? Why-

"Elena!" A voice that made her insides come alive with joy interrupted the depressing flow of her thoughts. A huge smile broke out on her face as she turned towards the source of the voice and her heart skipped a beat when she was met with the brightest pair of blue eyes dancing with amusement as he took in her appearance.

"Damon!" She said excitedly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still on your business trip!" She pulled him in into a hug, wrapping her arms around him.

"I was. I should have stayed for another day but I was bored out of my mind." He mumbled into her hair, his arms strong and warm around her body.

"When did you come home?" She secretly inhaled his scent, fresh and spicy and something that was utterly Damon. She enjoyed the closeness they shared and she was afraid to give the feeling a name.

"In the morning. I vowed Stefan to stay quiet… I wanted to surprise you." He slowly pulled away from her, his eyes mischievous and dancing with joy. His eyes roamed her skin, venturing from her face to her neck and cleavage; it felt like he was touching her.

"Stefan mentioned something… wait, you are the surprise he was talking about?" Her heart raced with happiness.

His grin told her everything. She reached up to pull his cheek closer for a soft kiss, letting her gaze sweep over his appearance; he was dressed in dark jeans and a navy button up shirt. Every other man on this party wore dress pants and light coloured shirts but Damon wasn't any man; he was her best friend and he didn't give a shit about what people thought about him.

That was the reason she loved him so much.

Because he didn't care.

Because he was brave enough to do and take what he wanted.

Because he was the one who truly knew her.

X

Katherine, after empowering her ice tea with some vodka, watched her plain, wallflower sister becoming alive under the touch of one of the most beautiful men she'd ever laid her eyes on. He was so different from the men at this boring party, so different and carefree… Katherine watched him mesmerized.

She took in his perfect features and the well toned body under his clothes. As a fashion designer she was used to seeing the little tricks people used to hide their body's flaws; but this man didn't have to hide anything. He could work for her as a male model, she thought, making her very, very rich in the process. He'd leave the audience stunned and begging for more, she was sure.

Her gaze fell on her sister then. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright, even her body seemed to come alive under the hands of that man.

She never had a high opinion about her sister before. Everyone in their family knew that Katherine was born to be beautiful and Elena was the smart one.

But in the arms of that man the little Elena became a gorgeous creature, a woman, she dared to think.

"Now I get it." She murmured to herself, before taking a sip of her drink.

"Get what?" An amused male voice piped up behind her and she turned around only to meet a brown haired man with moss green eyes.

"Why my sister loves this town so much." She said with a smirk, pointing with her glass at Elena who slowly let Damon go though she let his fingers graze her cheek. "For a man like that I'd gladly give up my career in the city too."

"He's not her boyfriend." The man with green eyes said teasingly, though there was an edge in his tone.

"No?" Her lips curled up again. "From what I see, I'd say they are completely enamored with each other. Look at them, at least one of them needs to keep touching the other."

The man's hand fell from Elena's face.

"No, she's not touching him in response."

"Give it a few seconds…" They watched Elena taking a quick glance around and her fingers twitched. "Three, two, one… aand here you are." Katherine said triumphantly when Elena's hand shot out to graze her fingers over his chest.

"See?" Katherine turned to the man standing next to her. "I've never seen my sister looking this bold before."

"It's an interesting theory, however, I'm one hundred percent sure that it's not her boyfriend."

"What a shame…" She took another sip from her glass, feeling herself become cheery because of the warming effects of the liquor. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Katherine."

"Yeah, I figured it out," The green eyed man said to her amused. "I'm Stefan, the boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Katherine felt her cheeks tingle a bit.

"And the man who tries to whisk my fiance away from this party, is actually my brother, Damon."

Katherine's gaze wandered back to Damon and Elena. He was whispering something into her ear, with his hand on the small of her back.

"You seem to be content about it." She couldn't hide the hint of jealousy from her voice.

"They've been acting like this from the first moment they met." Stefan shrugged. "But they are only friends."

"How do you know that?" Katherine's voice was full of doubt.

"Well, aside from the fact that my brother has at least one woman per week for a sleepover in our house… Let's say I just know they are not crossing any limits." Stefan felt ashamed to admit that he secretly followed Damon and Elena frequently at the beginning; he still did it occasionally. And then he was angry with himself that he ever doubted Elena.

As hard as it was to believe, Damon took Elena as a friend. Sometimes he stole her from a party and they ended up in the Salvatore's family library, reading books or chatting over some novel. Sometimes Elena followed Damon to his workshop and she did nothing else, just watched him work on a piece of furniture or made sketches in her sketchbook.

Stefan wasn't delusional. He knew there was a certain attraction between his brother and girlfriend but at the same time he witnessed that they had built up a wonderful friendship instead of betrayal; and Stefan knew Damon was Elena's escape from the life she lived in Mystic Falls. And Elena was the one who made Damon feel like a human again; he came home from his business trips more frequently, since they'd had Elena in their lives.

"Yes, they are just friends." He said more to himself and Katherine raised her brow in doubt.

X

"Are they still watching us?" Elena murmured, leaning closer to Damon.

"Yes," He sighed with irritation. "Sometimes the only thing keeping me from punching my nosy little brother is you." He whispered into her ear, enjoying the goosebumps breaking out on her skin when his warm breath fanned over her. "You know what? If I'm going to feel guilty for something, I want to earn my reputation at least."

Grabbing her hand he began to walk from the yard, pulling her with him. Some people watched them with amusement, some with quirked brows but no one really looked surprised; Christina liked to talk about Damon's and Elena's friendship and Stefan seemed to be okay with it. So if they had their opinion about this weird relationship, they kept their thoughts to themselves.

"Wait, where are we going?" Fear mixed with excitement in her voice as she tripped in her heels.

"To the middle of nowhere." He stopped for a second once they left the Lockwood manor, looking at her heels pointedly. "Take them off."

"No." She glared at him.

"I said, take. Them. off." He said authoritatively.

"Make me." She reminded him of an angry kitten and the thought amused him.

_That's why he loved her so much. _

"Fine." He took a step closer and the next moment she found herself thrown over his shoulder unceremoniously.

"Put me down, Damon!" She cried out angrily and he chuckled darkly.

"Not a chance." He tapped the top of her thighs through her dress.

"I hate you!" Her voice was trembling and he wasn't sure if it was from anger or from something else.

"I can guarantee you are going to be a very happy girl after I take my mercy on you, sweetheart. And I'll gladly let you beg me for my forgiveness."


	3. Chapter 3

**Many thanks to scarlett2112 for pre-reading and lauren3210 for betaing this chapter for me. **

CHAPTER 02

"_Where the nightingale doth sing _

_Not a senseless, tranced thing,_

_But divine melodious truth." _

_- John Keats -  
_

"Don't look at me." Elena pouted with her arms crossed over her chest, gazing out of the window stubbornly.

"Come on, 'Lena! You love when I go all caveman on you!" Damon said, laughing with his eyes on the road as he drove them away from the Lockwood party.

"It's…" She felt her cheeks burning. "It's not important. My sister was there. I wanted to make a good impression on her. We haven't spend too much time together since we graduated from high school."

"Remind me why that is." He said indifferently, already knowing the answer.

"You know why." Her jaw tightened.

"Do tell." He was teasing her, deliberately rubbing against her sore spot. She'd be angry with any other person in the world, making fun of her sad memories; but she knew Damon was different.

"You know, I think you want to make me cry today."

"No, I just want you to be honest with yourself." His tone grew serious for a second. "So?"

"Fine. She made it her personal mission to make me look ridiculous when we were teens. She went after every single boy in the high school who showed the tiniest bit of interest in me. And…" She trailed off, her throat tightening.

"And she slept with your boyfriend the night you decided to let him pop your cherry." He finished for her helpfully and her cheeks turned pink at his words.

She sighed.

"It was eight years ago."

"And it still hurts a little." He stated the obvious. "Are you afraid she'll go after Stefan too?"

"I don't know."

She expected panic rising within her at the image of Katherine trying to seduce her fiance but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Elena, talk to me."

"Why does everyone want to read my thoughts?" She cried out desperately. "Why can't I be just for one day not analyzed and scrutinized like a lab rat?"

He looked stunned and he remained silent for the rest of the ride. She found herself fidgeting and she kept throwing glances at Damon from the corner of her eye. She knew he was aware of her watching him.

"Are you really giving me the silent treatment for a silly joke?" Damon's voice broke the silence again when he pulled the car into the front yard of the Salvatore mansion.

Elena continued to pout even when he opened the door for her and helped her out of his car.

"And this is your big plan, to get me here?" She asked.

"I have a surprise for you."

"I'm starting to hate that word."

"It's not a porcelain doll, I promise. Come on." He took her hand and walked her inside.

He led her through the familiar hallway, and she was glad no one came out to greet her. Usually there were a half dozen pairs of eyes following her actions with Damon, curious, wondering, inquisitive.

"So, what do you want to give me?" She asked when he finally closed the door of the workshop behind them, shutting the world out. "You know I hate expensive gifts."

"Then what do you have me for?" He teased her, his eyes sparkling. "I made something for you."

"You never finish any of your works. You just play in here, pissing everyone off. Your dad would have burned this place down a long time ago if you weren't so successful in managing his company."

"Ouch, that hurt." He palmed his chest with a grin. "But this time, I'll let you get away with it."

He walked to a piece of furniture that was covered with white linen. Elena's heart leapt with joy as he slowly pulled the cover from a beautifully carved chest of drawers.

"Damon, what…" She stuttered.

"This is the first piece I finished. For you." He said, grinning happily.

"But why?"

"Next week it's going to be your birthday… I couldn't wait any longer…" He murmured, watching her face lighting up with joy as she came closer and ran her fingers along the top of the chest.

"It needs some polish and mordant but I need to know which shade you would like the most…" He trailed off again as he spotted the tears in her eyes.

"It's perfect, Damon." She whispered, caressing the masterfully carved and brushed piece lovingly. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is…" He mumbled, staring at her with darkening eyes and he took a step closer. His fingers found their way to hers and her breath hitched. Electric currents ran up her arm as their fingers entwined under the pretext of running their hands on the wooden chest. She felt his hot breath fanning her hair and his body was warm and hard behind her.

She moved a little, leaning back to him. She knew it was wrong to play with the fire. They had been playing this game far too long.

"Don't…" She gasped with the last ounce of self control she could gather, knowing he'd pull back instantly. He always backed off when she stopped his actions.

"Why not?" Apparently, this time Damon had other plans and he stayed there.

"You know why."

"Because it's always going to be Stefan." He stated quietly, without a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I need him in my life."

"Remind me why." His fingertips traced an invisible line up her forearm, to her shoulder, making her breath become shallow and she gripped the edge of the chest.

"I want a man…" Her head fell back onto his shoulder as he lightly circled her collarbone, setting her skin on fire.

"I'm all ears." He drawled as his other hand swiped her dark tresses from her shoulder and leaned in closer, his lips a hair breadth away from her sensitive skin. She expected him to finally make contact but when he did nothing else, only hover, she was ready to beg him.

"I want someone who makes me feel secure, who I can count on…" She trailed off as his lips finally touched that special spot on her neck.

"Keep talking…" He murmured against her skin and his arms tightened on her waist.

"I want to build a family and be a good wife to someone."

"What's the problem with that?"

"You… you are the problem, Damon."

"I feel hurt." He chuckled.

"This is not a game!" She cried out desperately, pulling away from him.

"I'm not toying with you." He watched her with blazing eyes.

"You are not toying with me?" She chuckled mirthlessly. "You've done nothing but try to seduce me since we met."

"Is this what you think about me?" He asked quietly with an impassive stare.

She turned away with downcast eyes.

"I don't know what to think anymore…" She felt tears gathering in her eyes. "You've done all these things for me, you make me laugh and be happy...… but…" She trailed off, realizing that she revealed too much from her inner thoughts.

"But what?" He took a step closer again.

"But nothing."

"Elena… please…" He hated that he had to beg her and it angered him more that she knew how he hated to beg someone.

"I have to go." She bent down to pick up her purse. "Thank you for the gift. I really like it."

"Wait." He grabbed her arm before she could open the door. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." She glared at him. "I need to go home. To Stefan."

His hand fell from her and he took a step back.

"Sure."

X

"Where did Damon take you yesterday?" Katherine asked while watching Elena who just came out of her bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"To his workshop. He made me a gift for my birthday." She responded while toweling her hair.

"Your birthday is going to be next week."

"I know. But he's going on a business trip again so he gave me it yesterday." She walked to the dressing table and picked up the hairbrush.

"What does he do for a living?"

"Who?"

"Elena…" Katherine rolled her eyes. "We are talking about Damon."

"No, it's you who wants to talk about him. And to answer your question, he's a lawyer but he works as vice-president at his father's company."

"So he's loaded."

Elena's eyes met hers in the mirror.

"So are you, Katherine. What's it to you if he's rich or not?"

"Oh, I thought about asking him to pose for me… I could use him as a model for my man's collection."

"As a model?" Elena was stunned.

"Yes. I mean, have you never seen that perfect body under his clothes?" She asked enthusiastically and Elena suppressed a sigh. She was glad her sister couldn't read her thoughts at the moment. "All those perfectly shaped muscles and smooth skin… I bet his abs are a piece of art. I wonder if his chest is hairy." She said with a dreamy expression.

"Actually, he has a little hair around his…" Elena stopped, blushing deeply.

"You have seen him naked? Oh my God! Spill the dirty details!" Katherine said excitedly.

"I'm not going to talk about my best friend like that." She stated firmly with a hardening expression. Katherine knew her sister well enough to know that Elena wouldn't say a word once she'd made up her mind.

"So what's going on with you and Damon?"

"We're friends." She said indifferently before walking into her closet to find something to wear for work. It was 7:15 in the morning and she had to get ready within 30 minutes before Stefan came to pick her up and take her to the school.

"Don't insult my intelligence. I saw you with him yesterday. You definitely didn't act like you were only friends."

Elena kept herself busy with laying a grey pencil skirt and a white blouse on her bed.

"And why do you wear such boring colours and clothes?"

"Because I'm a teacher in a small town, Katherine." She sighed, feeling exhausted. She had almost forgotten how tiring Katherine could be.

"I can help you with your dresses, fashion designer here, remember?" Katherine asked relentlessly.

"Why don't you go down and make coffee for us? I'll join you in a few." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Fine. But you owe me a talk." Katherine eyed her suspiciously for a second before leaving the room.

"Whatever." She murmured.

There were already two mugs of steaming coffee on the table when Elena finally decided to join her sister in the kitchen.

Elena went to the fridge to pull out several ingredients to make some sandwiches. Katherine watched her accurate movements silently and Elena frowned at her curious expression when she sat down across the table.

"So?" Katherine raised her brow.

"So what?"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on with you and Damon, or not?"

"We're friends." She murmured with downcast eyes.

"Fine. Friends." Katherine nodded to herself and leaning back in her seat, she took the mug between her palms, playing with the handle. "So, if theoretically, Damon would fall in love with a girl, you say that you are going to be okay with that?"

"I want him to be happy, that's all." Elena kept her eyes on her plate to keep the pain hidden from her sister's stare.

They ate in silence after that.

"So… I was thinking…" Katherine sighed and Elena suppressed an annoyed groan. "If I made a move on Damon, you would be completely okay with that?"

Elena stared at her for a second.

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

"No. I'm just asking as your older sister who maybe is interested in a man who happens to be your best friend. You must know him well and this way you are the one who can tell me about Damon and his attitude toward the women."

"Well." Elena took a bite of her sandwich. "Damon is intelligent and good looking. He knows all the tricks and words to charm a girl into his bed. But that's it. He barely recognizes her the next day and he never ties himself to a woman emotionally."

"That's why you chose to be with Stefan?" Katherine asked quietly.

Elena felt relieved when the doorbell rang and she hurried to open the door after throwing an apologetic smile towards Katherine.

"It must be Stefan. He's a bit early." She called out before opening the door. The smile fell from her lips when she saw Damon smirking at her.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered with widening eyes.

"You left your present at my place. I thought you'd be happy to have it at your place as soon as possible." He said with an evil smile.

"You said it needed to be finished." She narrowed her eyes.

"I can do it later." He held her gaze and she felt herself drowning in those ocean blue pools once again.

Elena's gaze fell on the truck parking in front of the house and she saw Alaric, one of Damon's friends, getting out of the car.

"Hey Elena!" He waved at her and she felt herself smile back in an involuntarily response.

"See, there's nothing to worry about." Damon winked at her.

"Fine." She said with a huff. "Just hurry up, I'm going to be late."

"I'll take that as a thank you." Damon said teasingly and Elena felt the shame creep up on her face instantly.

She tensed up more when she heard Katherine's steps coming closer from the kitchen.

"Hi, I'm Katherine," Elena didn't need to turn around to see her sister going into her seductress-mode. She kept her eyes on Damon as his gaze flickered to her with a hint of surprise.

"You look…" It was a priceless moment to watch Damon getting speechless.

"Yeah, we look like twins." Katherine walked closer, putting Elena behind her. "But I'm the older one. And you must be Damon." She stretched her hand out and Elena watched with curiosity how Damon would handle the situation. She knew Katherine could be very persuasive and straigthforward. Elena crossed her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall, she smirked at Damon with raised brows. He caught her stare and his lips twitched in response.

"The one and only, Ms Katherine." He said cheekily and as he brought Katherine's hand to his lips his stare met Elena's again. He was surprised to see the hurt on her face. She turned away and walked into the house without a word.

"I'd be very happy to meet you somewhere in private," Katherine said provokingly when she realized Damon was no longer watching her. She felt annoyed by the fact that her plain sister could catch his attention even if he had just met the prettier sister.

"Sure," Damon struggled to concentrate. He felt weird at Elena's rejection. She never made a big deal of his whoring around. "Ric and I usually hang out at the local club in the evenings."

"I'll meet you there then." Katherine responded happily.


	4. Chapter 4

**Many thanks goes to the wonderful lauren3210 who is a great friend and an amazing beta and support. **

Chapter 03

_"Most musical, most melancholy" bird! A melancholy bird! Oh! idle thought! In nature there is nothing melancholy."  
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge - _

"How do I look?" Katherine asked in a low tone. She had spent the last two hours locked in Elena's bathroom and now she was proudly presenting the result of her efforts.

"You look…" Elena trailed off. Katherine's hair cascaded over her shoulders in dark chocolate curls. Her make up was flawless; her lips painted in a deep red colour and her eyes smoky and dangerous. She was dressed in tight black pants and a top with a deep cleavage. Spiky heels were dangling in her hand as she put her free hand on her hip. "You look amazing."

"I know," She smirked confidently. "I can't say the same about you. Are you trying to look like a schoolgirl who has a problem to find out her own sexual identity on purpose?"

"I think I look decent." She said stubbornly. She wore a pair of comfy jeans with a long sleeved pale pink top, her hair piled up in a messy bun on the top of her head and absolutely no make up. Not the best choice, she knew that but she didn't want to draw any attention from the male population. "Stefan likes me in this top."

"Stefan… and Damon likes this outfit too?"

"Look Katherine, it maybe hard for you to understand, but Damon is my friend. There's no need to dress up for him; it's not like a date." She responded defensively.

Katherine didn't have a chance to respond because the doorbell rang. Elena glanced out of her window and sighed.

"It's for you."

"It's showtime." Katherine exclaimed enthusiastically and pulled her shoes on her feet. "Aren't you going to greet your friend before I get ready?"

"You are ready."

"But I want to make a grand entrance." She turned towards the mirror to check her make up for the last time.

Elena made her way downstairs, fuming inside. She knew what her sister was doing. Katherine wanted Damon to see the difference between the sisters; who's the better and prettier of the two of them.

She stopped in her tracks, wondering since when did she care if Damon found her attractive? This was getting ridiculous. She chose to be with Stefan. She had no right to think about Damon like that.

"I thought you'd never open the door." Damon teased her as she let him inside.

"You could use your own key." She bit back and he rewarded her with an amused smile.

"I could." He agreed but before he could present her with another snarky comment, his gaze narrowed and his jaw hit the floor. Elena turned around and wasn't really surprised to see her sister walking down the stairs with a secretive smile tugging around her lips. She walked so smoothly and elegantly like her feet didn't even touch the ground.

"Hello handsome…" She cooed and Elena rolled her eyes behind her back. Damon caught her gaze and suppressing a smile he continued to watch Katherine.

"Shall we?" He offered his arm and Katherine took it graciously.

"Always."

X

"Elena?" Stefan's voice ripped her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" She was standing at the bookshelf, pretending to read the book titles.

"Which one?"

"Which one what?"

"I've already asked you twice." Stefan looked up at her from the couch with the remote in his hand. "Which movie do you want to watch tonight?"

"Um… I'm tired, I think." She replied.

"Do you want to go home?" He watched her scrutinizingly.

She shuddered at the thought of returning to the empty house.

"Do you mind… if I stayed here tonight?"

"Of course not! Mom's going to be happy to see you in the morning." He tossed the remote on the coffee table.

"Okay then." She took his hand and let him lead her to his bedroom.

Once Stefan closed the door behind them she felt exhausted. She stood there like a statue and closed her eyes when she heard Stefan's steps coming closer behind her. He swept her hair aside and began kissing her neck. It was a pleasant feeling, she thought as his arms encircled her waist.

"Are you in the mood?" He asked and his breath fanned her face.

"I'm really tired…" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Can we just sleep tonight?"

"Come on, Elena, it's been months since we…" His hands tightened around her and she started to feel uncomfortable.

"Stefan, please…" She said more insistently and removing herself from his hold, she turned to face him. "You know what? I think I'm going home."

"What's the matter, Elena?" Stefan raised his voice impatiently.

"I'm fine."

"You were fine a week ago." He stated matter of factly. "Does your mood have anything to do with the fact that Damon started to date your sister?"

"I…" She gaped at him. "I just miss my friend, that's all." She wasn't in the mood to talk about her emotions. She didn't even understand them herself if she wanted to be honest. She'd watched Damon's dating several times during the past two years. She knew how his relationships worked and though she'd never admit, it always hurt a little to see him with all those women. She knew about his 'five dates-sex-and dump' rule and she was happy that he always returned to her and acted like nothing happened.

But it's already been more than five times –not that she'd counted - of Damon's going out with Katherine so far and he hadn't slept with her yet. Katherine was doing nothing else but gushing about Damon and all Elena could do was listen or tune her voice out.

"You can always talk to me." Stefan implied softly and she looked at him startled.

"I know." How could she talk to Stefan about her feelings? How could she admit that she felt jealousy eating her from the inside whenever she heard about their latest fantastic date? Damon was never a romantic, flowery kind of a man. And now he showered Katherine with his affections and Elena felt more and more worse every time they were together.

"Also, we need to talk to Caroline and my mom before we set the date."

"Wait." She turned to him wide eyed. "What are you talking about?"

"About our wedding day." He observed her patiently. "It's been two years since we got engaged. It's only natural that we are going to take things further. Do you have a problem with it?"

"Our wedding?" She echoed, panic rising within her. "It's too soon." She cleared her throat. "I mean I need a little more time."

"Hey, I'm not pressuring you. We can sit down and do all the planning after the Easter Holidays, is that okay with you?"

"It's only two months away…" She murmured.

"Do you think you'll be ready by then?" He smiled at her before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Yes… I'm going to think about it." She mumbled and her heart sank.

"Okay." He took a step away and pulled his t-shirt off. "Can we go to sleep now? You can have one of my shirts for the night."

"Thank you," She said quietly.

Hours later she found herself still staring at the ceiling of Stefan's bedroom. She couldn't stand it when Stefan touched her in her sleep and she always woke up when he moved or turned around in the bed. She hated to admit it, but his bed felt uncomfortable and she didn't like the smell of his linen.

And her stomach always decided to grumble every time she decided to spend a night with him. She found it utterly uncomfortable though Stefan just smiled and assured her that he was okay with that.

She glanced at the display of his alarm clock; it was one a.m.

There was a loud crack coming from the hallway of the boarding house, followed by a suppressed giggle. Elena tossed the sheets aside and tiptoed to the door. She pressed her ear to the wooden surface. There was no other sound coming from the house. She turned back to the dark room but her senses were still on alert and there was no way she could get to sleep soon.

Elena opened the door as quietly as possible and walked into the dark hallway. She padded down the stairs and she found it weird to see a dim light coming out of the kitchen. Inching closer, Elena tried to brace herself and ready to scream if there was some uninvited intruder in there.

She played several scary scenarios in her head but nothing could prepare her for the impact of the sight of her sister making out with her best friend. Damon leaned against the counter and Katherine was kissing him in the light of the opened fridge door. Both of his hands were occupied; one of his hands was gripping a tumbler and there was a bottle of chilled bourbon in the other. It looked like he was about to pour a glass of liquor for himself before Katherine attacked him with her mouth glued to his.

Elena gasped and Damon's head snapped in her direction, prying his lips from Katherine's.

"Elena…" He was visibly surprised to see her there. His gaze swept over her, taking in her disheveled look, from her tousled hair, over Stefan's oversized t-shirt down to her bare legs. He gently pushed Katherine away as if she didn't even exist at that moment.

"Don't mind me…" She whispered. "I just wanted a glass of milk."

"Always the good girl, aren't you, sister?" The words left Katherine's mouth easily and Elena was used to hear her sarcastic comments. But this time… with Damon in the room, with their lips swollen from their kisses, with her looking like a schoolgirl at her first sleepover, it became just too much. She usually didn't mind when Katherine picked on her. But usually, she wasn't humiliated in front of Damon.

She wondered why that mattered. Why did it hurt?

"And you are hell-bent on living up to your reputation, aren't you?" She bit back sarcastically and taking out the milk bottle from the fridge, she made her way to the kitchen counter to find a glass. She was so upset at the moment that she didn't even register the hurt on Katherine's face and the surprised smirk on Damon's. Unfortunately, Elena needed to open the cabinet behind Damon. "Can you get out of my way?" She murmured without looking up at him.

He put the bottle and the glass on the counter and folded his arms with an amused smile.

"Say please."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Stefan didn't satisfy you tonight?" Katherine asked in a mocking tone.

"Katherine…" Damon growled, closing his eyes for a second.

"No, Damon, let her show you who she really is." Elena tossed the milk bottle on the counter and turned to Katherine. "Come on, tell Damon about all the men that satisfied you in the past eight years? Oh wait, I bet you lost the count after the fifteenth victim of yours."

"At least I don't act like I don't have a vagina, sister." Katherine bit back with blazing eyes.

Elena blanched. It was a low blow and both of them knew it. She wanted to say so many things, to hurt her sister, to be cruel and ignorant like Katherine was; but she couldn't go there. She wasn't that girl.

"Have a great night." She choked out and she stormed out of the kitchen.

"Elena!" She heard Damon's voice behind her but she didn't slow down. She felt angry tears pushing out of the corner of her eyes and she didn't want them to see them. "Wait!" He whisper-yelled at her but she didn't listen. She was beyond hurt and felt betrayed.

She reached for the door handle of Stefan's bedroom and turning around she glared at Damon.

"What do you want?" She hissed at him. The darkness surrounded them and she saw only the contours of his body.

"I don't want you to be angry with me."

She felt him leaning closer in the dark and she was angry with herself that she let her breath hitch. It was insane! A few minutes ago Damon had been kissing her sister! She should have felt disgusted by his proximity but all she could feel was something dark and raw unraveling deep inside her belly.

His breath fanned over her hair and her head fell back onto the wall beside the door.

"What are you…"

"Shhh…" He interrupted her and she smelled the liquor on his breath. He was easily losing his boundaries and got horny when he was drunk, she knew that. "I don't want anyone to hear us."

His hand came around her and rested on the wall next to her head.

"Damon…" Her whisper was weak and her breathing picked up.

"Let me say this and I'll let you go." He pleaded with her and his fingers traced her jawline. "I know I have no right to talk to you like this. But you should know this: I don't want her. The only reason I'm going out with her is-"

"Damon, where are you?" Katherine's voice interrupted them and Elena pushed at his chest in an instant.

"Let me go!" She hissed at him, her body stiff and filled with unsatisfied desire. She almost yelped loudly when he didn't obey but pulled her body roughly against his. She could feel all the hard muscles of his chest and her breath hitched when she felt his hardness pressing against the prison of his pants… It was hot and it was forbidden… She felt her resistance weaken and all she wanted to do was touch him and bury her hands into his hair…

"We need to talk." His voice was barely above a whisper against the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Damon?" Katherine was annoyed now.

He released Elena reluctantly and went back to Katherine. She remained standing, though her legs threatened to give out under her. What the hell had just happened?


	5. Chapter 5

**Many thanks to lauren3210 for betaing this chapter for me.**

**CHAPTER 04**

"_Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep In the next valley-glades: Was it a vision, or a waking dream? Fled is that music:-do I wake or sleep?"  
John Keats – To A Nightingale _

Damon felt a dull ache rising within his chest as he saw Elena in Stefan's shirt that night. He knew about their relationship and he'd be delusional to think that they weren't sexually active. But somehow, he always managed to avoid the reality of this side of Stefan's and Elena's relationship.

It'd been a pleasant night before Elena interrupted it.

He enjoyed being in Katherine's company, he found her entertaining. She was nothing like most of the women of Mystic Falls; she lived in a city and she was confident about her career and relationship to men. He had to admit, he found Katherine refreshing. He could talk to her like she was his equal; she wasn't shy to voice her opinion and her arguments were well formed and reasonable. Damon found it amusing to hear that she didn't want to settle down soon and to be committed to someone.

He knew all the reasons why he started to date her; but sometimes, when he was helping himself to a drink in a lonely night, he couldn't deny the truth. He was a liar. He lied to the world and he had lied to himself for the past two years.

Because deep in his mind and his soul he knew what the real reason was behind this façade of his friendship with Elena.

He liked Katherine though. And sometimes he felt like shit when he caught her dreamy gaze. Because all the reasons behind his affections for Katherine were to finally shake Elena out of her numbness; to make her finally snap and react.

But seeing her in Stefan's shirt, standing there in the dim light of the kitchen looking so innocent and beautiful, he suddenly forgot to breathe. It felt like a punch into his stomach. The feeling of hurt and betrayal filled his insides and his head ached as he tried to suppress the images pushing into his mind of his brother making love to Elena.

But as he looked her over as properly as he could in the faint light of the fridge, he didn't see any tracks on her skin of her supposed actions from before. His mind drifted again to the forbidden territory. If it was him that had been honoured to have her, her hair would've been disheveled, her lips swollen and her skin marked. Her whole body would be flushed after the things he'd done to her. And she certainly wouldn't look as cold, unattached and judging as she did that night.

When she spun around and left the kitchen, he completely forgot about Katherine. All he could think about was Elena and the fact that he had… he needed to talk to her. His feelings became uncomfortable and if he didn't talk about them soon, he felt he'd do something stupid.

Stupid as in yanking her body flush against his, so he could feel those perfect contours pressing into his chest and for a second he felt like he was in heaven.

Later he couldn't decide whether he had just imagined that her breathing picked up.

Because his mind stopped working the second he felt her body responding to his actions. It was brief but they both felt it. That second was nothing like all those other interactions between them. He loved to touch her. He always found an excuse to touch her in some form and she didn't mind it. He liked to play with her, to watch her as she slowly opened up to his affections like a little rosebud squirming awake at the first touch of sunlight.

But she had never given away her reactions. She'd remained calm and unattached until now.

And he remained burning in his own personal hell.

He walked back to the kitchen defeated. Pouring himself a drink, he tried to ignore Katherine. But he was sorely mistaken if he thought she would give up.

"Why did you go after her?" She asked and he rolled his eyes while downing his second glass of bourbon. He felt the burning in his veins and his body raged with desire. All he could think about was the memory of Elena's body pressing against his; the darkness and the intimacy of the moment haunting him.

"It was a mistake." He heard himself saying. He poured himself another drink and grabbing the bottle he began wandering to his bedroom. He didn't want to pass out in the middle of the kitchen. He heard Katherine's footsteps behind him but frankly, he didn't care. His mind was still reeling around the fact that Elena's walls seemed to be finally cracking.

Leaving the door ajar, he went straight to his bed. He placed the tumbler on the nightstand and opted to drink straight from the bottle; it was easier this way. He was glad the next day was Saturday and he didn't have to wake up early.

He didn't care where Katherine was at the moment. As his brain became slowly fuzzy, his vision blurred. He felt the fire spreading in his veins and his body jolted awake as images of Elena drifted into his thoughts. Unbuttoning his shirt, he imagined her hand caressing his naked skin with her soft warm little palms. After taking another swig he could practically feel her fingers sliding up and down on his torso. His hand went to his belt as the pants became too uncomfortable and the tension started to become unbearable. He wondered how her lips would feel on his skin, those amazing, lush lips pressing kisses all along his body…

Why did it feel so real?

He pried his eyelids open and sat up startled. He couldn't believe his eyes. Warm brown pools were staring at him and soft lips lingered above his skin.

It looked so real. It felt so good.

"Elena?" His voice was barely a whisper and her lips tightened.

"Try again." She smirked and leaned closer to kiss him. He tilted his head backwards before she could accomplish her mission.

"This is not a good idea." He gasped. His body was on fire, hard and aching from desire. But not for Katherine.

"Why not? Because I'm not her?" She asked provocatively as her hands slid over the hard planes of his chest.

"I'm not discussing Elena with you." He grabbed both of her arms in an attempt to push her away. But Katherine surprised him with her quick reaction; she unbuttoned his pants in a flash or at least it felt like it in his drunken state.

"Pretend it's her…" She purred as her fingers found their way into his boxers.

"No!" He cried out and the bottle fell from the bed and reached the floor with a thud. He grabbed her shoulders more firmly and pushed her away.

His mind was hazy and he wished he wasn't so drunk. His feelings clawed at his insides and he felt tears pushing into his eyes. He knew all the reasons why he dated the older Gilbert girl; and in a moment of clarity he was able to admit that all those reasons were wrong.

"Look, Katherine, I don't think it's going to work between us…" He whispered, staring at the ceiling. He didn't even feel her fingers working on his shaft.

"I agree. But a last kiss won't kill you, right?" She asked.

"Go home, Katherine, you can take my car."

"Just one kiss." The desperation in her voice felt fake.

"No." He pushed himself off of the bed and began to walk to his bathroom. A cold shower would help to ease his pain.

"Oh come on, kiss me!" She hissed at him as she followed him to the bathroom.

He stepped out of his pants and unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. He didn't turn around to see if she was there as he got rid of his boxers. All he wanted at the moment, was to feel the droplets of water against his skin. Turning the faucet on, he was relieved when he could finally step in and let the water wash away his sorrow.

He stood there with closed eyes for a long time, letting the droplets of water hit his skin with a million tiny daggers. He reached for the shower gel, his fingers closed around the air where he expected to find the sponge.

"What the…" He whispered and the next moment he felt a pair of palms touch his skin. He spun around and he was completely taken aback to see Katherine standing there naked, with his sponge in her hand. "You really can't take a hint, can you?"

"And you suddenly decided to be celibate because of some silly flicker of hope she gave you after two years of your pining after her?" She let her hands fall to her sides and he hated himself for taking a quick glance at her peaks.

"You are pathetic." He uttered and turning away he quickly finished his shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked back to his bedroom, ignoring her on his way.

After taking another swig of the bourbon, he found the bottle much lighter than before. He didn't want to admit but Katherine's words got to him. She had just voiced his inner insecurities and for a second he believed her.

His head started to pound, his heart felt heavy. He was so tired, so exhausted.

Katherine was right. He'd been in love with Elena.

And he needed to send another gulp of liquor down his throat over and over again until it didn't hurt to think about Elena in his brother's t-shirt anymore.

'_It's peaceful in the deep…'_

x

The next morning he woke up to a pounding headache.

"Fuck…" He mumbled as he tried to sit up in his bed but something was in his way. Something warm and soft, like a woman's arm being wrapped around his waist. Chocolate hair and _naked _skin.

He felt disgust rising in his throat and he pushed Katherine out of his way. She stirred in her sleep and slowly woke up with a lazy smile.

"Hello, tiger…" She whispered and he flinched.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?" He hissed at her.

"What does it look like?" She slowly sat up, letting the sheets fall from her breasts. He didn't give her the satisfaction of averting his gaze. He glared at her with so much hatred that would have shaken a weaker person. But not Katherine. Her smirk was confident and knowing.

And then it clicked.

The images of last night flashed up in the back of his mind. Katherine kissing him. Damon pushing her away. Katherine saying something provocative and cruel again. Damon throwing her across his bed and taking her in an animalistic act…

He glared at her despisingly.

She was about to say something but then a soft knock on the door interrupted them, followed by the turn of the door knob.

"Damon?" Elena's soft voice came from the hall and he panicked.

"Stay outside, Elena!" He yelled at her, too late. She already stepped inside, fully clothed, with two mugs of steaming coffee in each of her hands.

"I thought we could talk in private." She offered and the second her gaze fell on Katherine in his bed, her footsteps halted. She stood there, blinking and gaping at them, her eyes flickering back and forth between Damon and Katherine.

"Elena…" He said weakly. He could practically feel her soul crashing at the betrayal.

"Don't." She shook her head. After a moment of inner debate she walked to his bed and placed the two mugs on the nighstand carefully. Damon felt his insides turn frozen at her hardening look. He waited for her to say something, anything.

But she just turned around and made her way outside in silence.

"Please…" He heard himself whisper and he felt tears pooling in his eyes.

All of a sudden, she stopped like someone'd yanked at her strings and pivoted.

"I'm going to say it only once, Damon…" She inhaled sharply as if saying his name'd hurt her. He saw the fire in her eyes die and become lifeless. "Stay away from me. For good."

"Oh, cut the drama, sister," Katherine chimed sarcastically. "There's no need to fight over someone who doesn't even know how to satisfy a woman." She dared to smirk at her.

Elena felt like she was watching herself from outside. She saw herself hurling across the room and she slapped her sister hard. She was stunned. She was torn.

"That's it, _sister."_ She hissed. "You have an hour to get the fuck out of my house or I'm throwing your things out of the window. I'm done with you. You're not my sister anymore."

And with this she walked out of Damon's room, out of his life, out of her childish dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter is betad by the wonderful lauren3210.**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She murmured to herself as she left Damon's room. Of course he had to pull some stupid stunt; it wouldn't be him if he was just acting normal for one fucking day.

She had barely slept last night. Her body was buzzing with life and whenever she recalled Damon as he pulled her body against his, goosebumps broke out on her skin and her pulse started to race. She thought, it would be nice to talk to him in the morning, uninterrupted, with no family members around.

She had made two mugs of steamy coffee because she knew how much Damon loved his morning fix of caffeine. And she loved his morning looks and relaxed smile in return, although she was the last person on Earth who would tell him that.

She placed one of the mugs on the drawers next to his door before knocking softly on the dark wood. She heard him talking to someone but she was too busy pushing his door open.

"Elena, stay outside!" He yelled at her, too late.

The sight of her own sister in Damon's bed hurt more than she thought it would.

Until this very moment, she could pretend that she was detached and uninterested in his affairs. She was always able to convince herself that it didn't matter and that she had no say in what he did. As long as their relationship didn't suffer from his affairs, she always could duck her head in the sand, repeating the same mantra.

It didn't matter.

As long as their friendship remained unaffected, it didn't matter how many women had Damon slept with.

But seeing Katherine in his bed, her walls came crashing down and she just stood there, her soul bare and vulnerable.

She could no longer ignore the ache in her chest. Her eyes turned to Damon with so many unsaid questions she couldn't ask. Not after she saw her own sister smirking at her triumphantly from her safe place on his bed.

And Katherine just couldn't shut up.

She slapped Katherine. She was determined to throw her out of her house. She didn't want to waste her time with Damon anymore.

But as she made her way out of the house, a kind voice stopped her.

"Elena, my dear!" Christina came to her smiling. They hugged briefly and Elena squeezed her eyes shut as her arms went around the woman who was close to her heart like she was her own mother. "Come, have some breakfast with me on the terrace."

"Actually, I was on my way home…" She replied weakly.

"I hope you didn't want to leave without having some breakfast, dear. You know it's the most important meal of the day…"

Elena felt her legs follow the older woman to the backyard of the mansion as the older woman kept talking. It was a warm morning and Elena's gaze swept lovingly over the sight of the mist lingering over the distant pastures of the Salvatore property.

She let Christina surround her with motherly care once again. It felt good to be pampered by someone.

"How do you feel this morning, dear?" She asked once they sat down and Elena reached for a piece of croissant.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. How are you?" Elena responded politely though inside she was still fuming and sad. Her mind drifted back to Damon and she kept wondering why it hurt so much to see him with Katherine. Well, technically she didn't see them getting it on together but still.

"Would you like to have some milk in your coffee?" She asked softly, watching Elena closely. Elena kept her gaze on the flowers in the vase and nodded absentmindedly.

"I'll get it." Damon's voice came from the terrace door.

Elena's head snapped in his direction as the feel of betrayal washed over her once again. He was now fully dressed, in a tight grey t-shirt and a pair of dark washed jeans, no shoes. Elena felt his gaze on her as their eyes locked. His smile was apologetic though it vanished as he met her hard stare.

"Christina, thank you for your hospitality but I have to go anyway." She rose from her seat and bolted to the door. Her shoulders brushed against Damon's as she passed by him. He grasped her fingers, making her look up at him.

And she let him see the hurt in her eyes for a second, before stepping away from him and leaving, throwing a goodbye back to his mother.

She walked out of the Salvatore mansion with slumped shoulders to her car only to see a familiar figure leaning against the hood.

"What do you want?" She didn't bother to look at Katherine as she opened the door of the car.

"I thought I could call a cab but then I figured we were going in the same direction. You could help out your sister." She said casually.

"Sister…" She snorted and lifting her head she glared at Katherine above the top of the car. "You don't even know what that word means."

"Hey, why are you so hostile?" She raised her palms in defeated gesture. "It's not like I slept with your boyfriend!"

The truth in her words hit Elena with full force. Katherine was right. She had no right to argue about someone who was only her best friend, nothing more.

Elena's gaze swept around to see if there was someone to witness their talk. She was relieved when there was no one only Stefan coming out of the house.

"Mother said you left." He walked to her and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Don't do I deserve a goodbye?"

"Oh, sorry…" She trailed off and let Stefan hug her. "I was distracted."

"Why are you in such a hurry? I though you were staying for lunch."

"Something came up…" She took a step away.

"You don't have anything scheduled for today…" He frowned.

"We decided to spend the day together, you know, quality time and all." Katherine chimed in with a confident smile, ignoring Elena's glare.

"Can I join in?" He asked with a hope in his tone.

"No…" Elena was glad to find her voice. "Katherine and I…" She cleared her throat. "We have to sort some things out."

"Okay," Stefan nodded and his gaze kept going back and forth between the sisters. He wasn't completely oblivious; he felt the tension between the girls and Katherine's smirk altogether with Elena's glare left him confused. "I'll call you later."

He planted a soft kiss on Elena's forehead and watched the sisters get in the car and leave. He walked back to the house then and he became all ears when he heard the whisper-yells coming from the backyard terrace.

He hated himself for his curiosity; though it didn't stop him tiptoing closer and eavesdrop.

"How could you?" His mother hissed. "She's her sister!"

"Thanks for pointing that out to me." Damon grumbled.

"What were you thinking when you made her sister stay with you all night long?" She was getting upset and Damon snorted.

"I certainly didn't force her, trust me. She followed me into my room and kept throwing herself at me… God, I can't believe I'm discussing this with my own mother…" He groaned.

Stefan listened to their conversation with growing mirth. He found it hilarious. Damon finally'd done something that made Elena see him as a piece of shit, exactly who his brother truly was.

"Spare me of the gory details, son." She spat sternly. "All I care is that Elena doesn't deserve this."

"Ma…" He pleaded with her.

"Don't 'ma' me, Damon Salvatore!" She snapped. "You are responsible for this situation and I don't care how but I'm sure you must fix it."

"Don't, please."

"I love Elena, son." Her voice softened. "All I want is to see her being happy and the way you choose your bedmates makes her truly sad." Stefan supressed a laugh at his mother's choice of words as she addressed Damon's one night stands. "So, I've come to the conclusion that it's time for you to act like a grown man and fix things with Elena."

"She won't listen to me." Stefan was stunned to hear the defeat in Damon's voice.

"Beg her, send her flowers, kidnap her, I don't care. She's a great girl and she owns a special place in my heart."

"Why is she so special to you?"

There was a long pause after Damon's question. Stefan hated himself for standing in the shadows like a thief but he was eager to know what his mother was going to say. He heard the clink of the teaspoon against the fine china and he could imagine his mother gazing into the distance.

"She's like a daughter to me."

"Oh come on, I know there must be something else, ma!" Damon teased her.

Another pregnant pause. A chair squeaked as someone pushed it back and the next moment Stefan heard his mother walk to the railing, followed by Damon's steps. He heard whispers and he almost fell over as he tried to lean closer but still couldn't hear a word.

"You can come out, Stef, no one's going to bite you!" Damon suddenly called out and Stefan felt beyond embarrassed.

He made an attempt to walk to the terrace like he wasn't busted but Damon's smirk made it impossible.

"You need to work on your technique, brother, if you choose to sneak around more." Damon commented with a laugh.

"Assuming that you were caught with Elena's sister in a compromising situation just a mere few minutes ago, I think you should take your own advice to your heart." He retorted smugly as he put the pieces together. Now Elena's torn look made sense as he realized that Damon had to have spent the night with Katherine. And he couldn't help feeling a little victory over the fact that this weird friendship between his brother and Elena was finally shattered.

Stefan was a patient man. He wasn't the one who let his emotions overwhelm him. That's why he'd tolerated Damon's attitude for the past two years. He knew, sooner or later, his brother would do something that opened Elena's eyes. And apparently, this moment had just come.

Damon's smirk slowly vanished as he got the reason behind Stefan's words.

"Boys!" Christina decided to cut in. "Enough!" She stood up and walked to the door.

"He started it…" Stefan murmured.

"Jeez, grow up, man." Damon snickered as he took a bite from Elena's croissant.

"I said, enough." Christina said authoritatively. "I'm going to meet Carol for lunch today and I would appreciate it if you both started to act like two consenting adults. Damon, you hurt Elena deeply today. I don't like it. As I said, fix it." Her stern tone washed over him like a sharp knife "And Stefan, you promised to talk to Elena."

"I did." He smiled at her reassuringly and Damon raised his brow.

"About what?"

"Not that it's any of your business, brother, but we talked about setting the date."

"The date." Damon visibly paled.

"Yes, the date of our wedding." Stefan replied, watching his brother with growing mirth.

Damon sat down on the chair nearby as he felt his legs give out beneath him. His fingers raked through his hair and he'd give anything to have a glass of bourbon at that moment. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, before speaking.

He wasn't aware of the sad look their mother regarded him with. Stefan sat down as well and he buttered a piece of toast for himself lazily.

"What did she say?" Damon asked finally.

"I gave her two months to decide." Stefan decided to take pity on him and Damon was able to breathe again.

"Well done, son." Christina smiled at him and Damon rolled his eyes. Of course, Stefan would give the perfect answer. "I have to go now. We'll talk later."

They both watched their mother leave and Damon's head started to spin. The awful hangover returned with full force and his thoughts drifted to Elena again.

"What did mother say to you about Elena?" Stefan's voice ripped him out of his thoughts once again.

"She said I'm the better one for her." Damon teased with a menacing glint in his eyes.

"I'm going to pretend you don't exist."

"Whatever."

"So when are you going to kidnap my fiancee again?"

Damon almost spilled the coffee over the table.

"What?"

"I heard mom encouraged you to take Elena with you." Stefan said quietly eyeing him curiously.

"I'm actually wondering how you can be content with her suggestion." Damon retorted with blazing eyes. "Why don't you fight me? I'd fight me."

Stefan ignored his provocating tone.

"You know I'm pretty sure what she did whisper to you about Elena."

"I'm all ears." He turned away and picking up the mug once again. He took a sip from the coffee.

"I believe she said something like: Elena's the one who brings you home."

Damon blinked before his lips twisted into a smirk.

"Very Emerson of you brother. However that's not what mom said to me, not to mention that it's none of your business." He raised the mug in toast. "Anyway, I'm off for the day. If mom looks for me, I'm going to crash at my apartment for the weekend. And I fully intend to get drunk as soon as possible so don't bother calling me."

Stefan watched him with an uneasy feeling that settled in his stomach. Damon usually wasn't the one to give up this soon.

Damon rose from the chair gracefully and left, his mother's words replaying in his mind over and over again.

"_It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."_


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is pre-read and betad by the wonderful lauren3210.**

**I want to thank everyone for the great response to this story and I especially want to thank everyone who also left a review. Your ideas make me think about putting more twists into the story .**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it. **

CHAPTER 06

"I'm giving you an hour to pack your shit and get out of my house," Elena said coldly after she pulled the car in front of her home. She got out of the vehicle quickly, leaving the front door open as she made her way straight to the kitchen. She expected to hear Katherine's steps in the hall.

It was the silence that made her turn around. Katherine leaned against the doorframe with an impassive stare.

"You can't throw me out." She said simply.

"The hell I can't." Her fists clenched. "You messed my life up already. You made your point about how pitiful my life is and proved yourself. Again. You make me feel ashamed of you. So the least you can do is to go back to your wonderful apartment in Chicago and forget that you had a sister once."

Katherine's face fell and her gaze turned serious.

"I can't."

"Why?"

"There's no apartment anymore, Elena." Katherine paused and took a deep breath. "No design studio and no flashy career. I-I don't know where to go from here."

"Spill the details." Elena sank onto the chair and stared at her sister with wide eyes.

"It's a boring story, really." Katherine shrugged. "Do you remember the time I worked for the Mikaelson Designs?" Elena nodded hesitantly. Katherine started her early career as an assistant to Klaus Mikaelson.

"It was ten years ago. Why do you bring it up now? You hated that job."

"That's right. And you know the reason why." Katherine pulled out a chair for herself and sat down across her. "I told you how Klaus worked. He had a shit ton of assistants and had brainstorming meetings every now and then…"

"Yeah, I remember, you said he'd stolen his assistants' best design ideas and sold them as his own." Elena finished for her impatiently. "I still don't see what this has to do with our situation."

"Well…" Katherine trailed off and her cheeks turned pink. "When I realized what he did to us, I took my revenge on him. I took some of his designs before I left back then… and one of my assistants accidentally used them for my last year's collection. To cut the long story short, Klaus remembered, he sued me, he won and I lost everything. My apartment, my studio, even my prestige. Klaus made sure no one from the fashion world would work with me anymore."

"So my sister became a thief. Nice."

"Hey, he started it!" Katherine cried out and the mask of calmness finally fell from her face.

"That doesn't make your actions right." Elena rose from her seat. "And your best plan for survival was to come to this town and screw my life up?"

"No. The only plan was to survive this with your help." Katherine actually looked embarrassed at that confession. "I knew you'd understand."

Elena sensed the desperation in her sister's voice.

"You could've been honest from the beginning." Her voice softened. "I'd have helped."

"How could you have done anything, Elena?" Katherine threw her arms in the air. "All I know is how to draw a sketch, cut fabrics and sew; nothing else. I don't have a degree or a loaded boyfriend like you do."

Elena's eyes narrowed at her last comment.

"I'll let you stay here but you have to be completely honest with me from now on."

"You know my biggest secret. What else would you want to know?"

"About Damon, for starters. Is the money the reason behind your pursuing him?"

Katherine watched Elena warily, trying to gauge her sister's thoughts. But Elena's stare was indifferent, her features remained pleasant. Though if Katherine'd taken a look underneath the table top, she'd have seen Elena's fists turned into tight balls in her lap.

"Partly." She admitted finally. "But you can't blame me. You don't know how hard it is to lose everything you worked so hard for for years."

"You don't get it, do you?" Elena's eyes shot daggers at her sister. "I would never go that low to seduce a man for his money. All the money that Damon has got and what he's going to inherit from his parents once they die; would be nothing to me. I'd gladly leave everything for him and live under the bridge if I'd have his undivided affections and love."

She clamped her mouth shut and she blanched. They both fell silent, both of them taken aback with her confession. It was too late to take the words back. Katherine's mouth twitched in amusement.

"I totally knew it." She exclaimed loudly. "You-"

"Don't say a word." Elena stood up, determined to end the conversation, "Since you don't have a place to go, you can stay here for as long as you need to figure out what you want to do with your life."

"Elena…"

She spun around with her eyes burning with unshed tears.

"You can stay here but it doesn't mean I'm staying here too."

"You don't have to leave."

"Actually, I must leave otherwise I'm afraid I'd slap you again." Her gaze swept over her sister's disheveled look. She still wore her dress from the previous night and she didn't even try to hide the lovebite she sported on her neck. Elena gulped, imagining Damon doing that to her sister and she felt sick. "How could you-" She stopped, realizing that she was about to say something stupid again.

"How could I?" Katherine replied agitatedly. "Oh my, look at him!"

"I don't want to hear it." She gritted out.

"But you know, just between us, sister, he isn't that good in the sack." She smirked conspirationally, ignoring Elena's comment. "He doesn't live up to all that hype."

"Don't repeat yourself." Elena went to her room and pulled out a duffel bag from her closet, with Katherine hot on her heels. She acted like Katherine's words didn't get to her, like everything was fine but inside she was screaming. Screaming again, for the umpteenth time in a few days.

Oh, how she wished to find a place where she could let out all of that frustration!

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to stay with Caroline for the weekend. I suggest you use your time wisely and think about what you've done."

"Yes, mom." Katherine rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "You're delusional, sister. You sit on your high horse, judging everyone because you've never been put into a real tempting or dangerous situation before."

"It's hardly my fault that you screwed your life up." She put her toiletries into the bag, before zipping it shut. "Anyway, it's not my business what you do. You know my cell number if you need me but I'd really appreciate if you didn't call me until I came back home."

"And when will that be? You know, in case Stefan asks." She regarded Elena with another smirk.

"Not till the end of this weekend," she bit out with the last ounce of her self control before she slammed the door behind her.

Elena threw the duffel bag on the backseat of the car and before getting in; she dialed Stefan's number.

"Hey, it's just me." She made an attempt to sound chipper.

"How are things going with Katherine? Are you having a great time?" He asked with interest and Elena suppressed an annoyed sigh as she got into the car. If only Stefan knew…

"It didn't work out." She said tersely.

"Are you coming over then?" His voice was hopeful.

"Actually I thought about going to stay at Caroline's for the rest of the weekend. I need to cool off and sort some things out."

"You could stay here. Mom would be happy to see you." Elena started the engine and closed her eyes for a second.

"It's not fair to bring your mother up right now." She heard herself say and her subconscious gaped at her. She knew Stefan's game all too well. Whenever she tried to get away and to have time to think about things, he brought up his mother and she was trapped in guilt once again.

Not this time.

"What did you just say?" He was clearly surprised. Elena wasn't the one who backtalked and stood up for herself.

"You heard me, Stefan." She sighed. "Look, I don't want to fight but I really need a little time for myself to think everything over."

"About us?" She clutched the phone in trepidation at the hopeful tone he used again. "If I'm not going to see you this weekend, can you promise at least that you will think about my proposal?"

"I will." She clenched her teeth. "I have to go now, Caroline's waiting for me," she lied.

"Okay, I'll see you on Monday."

"I can drive myself to work." She protested weakly.

"Sure, baby. We'll talk about it later. Love you, sweets." His tone made it clear that whatever her decision was, he'd be there for her on Monday morning and he would drive her to the work, no matter what.

Elena couldn't see straight from anger. How come she had never realized how manipulating Stefan was? Why did he need to have the last word all the time? How didn't she realize this before?

She dialed Caroline next, to announce her arrival.

"_Hi, it's Caroline_," The voicemail greeted her, "_I'm having a damn good time with my girls out of town right now. Please, leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I'__m__ sober again." _

Elena suppressed a chuckle. It was typical for Caroline to leave such funny messages on her voicemail; it was one of her personal goals, to make people smile all the time.

Elena parked the car in front of the Grill, not sure what to do next. She couldn't go to Caroline, she didn't want to go back to Katherine and she definitely didn't want to see Stefan at the moment. Her stomach grumbled as she decided to grab some lunch at the Grill at least. As she shuffled in her purse, looking for her vallet, her fingers were met with a piece of cold metal.

"What the…" She pulled the item out only to see a pair of silver keys flashing in the light; they were the keys to Damon's apartment. She'd completely forgotten that Damon had given them to her ages ago, but she'd never used those keys before.

Her mind started to race again and a faint smile crept up onto her lips; all of a sudden, she was glad she couldn't reach Caroline. She wanted a hideaway and Damon's apartment was the best choice. He was probably in his workshop at this time or in his mother's library soaking his liver in bourbon.

Elena got out of the car only to order a take-out in the Grill, and then she stopped at the supermarket for a sinful amount of chocolate, champagne, candles and bubble bath. She was going to have a great weekend all for herself and she was going to enjoy it.

It was afternoon once she pulled the car in front of Damon's apartment building. It was the most luxurious place in town, built by the Salvatores Inc. and of course, Damon owned the biggest suite at the top. It was the only outrageous thing he owned, well, besides his expensive car.

As she was greeted by the receptionist, guilt started to creep back into her brain, torturing her. She really wasn't that girl who just disappeared and left her responsibilities behind. She panicked and turned around to leave, when the receptionist stopped her.

"Miss Gilbert, you can't use the elevators without this." Eyeing her with curiosity, he handed her a sleek black card with the Salvatore Inc. logo. "Here, I can show you how to use it."

Elena followed the receptionist silently, trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. She stepped into the elevator and as she watched the closing doors, she decided to leave her guilt out of her thoughts for this weekend.

TVD

"_Hi, it's Caroline_, _I'm having a damn good time with my girls out of town right now. Please, leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I'__m__ sober again." _

Stefan snapped the cell in his hand shut, embarrassed by the doubt he had felt towards Elena. Of course she was with her friends as she'd earlier said.

Stefan was confused after his talk with Elena. She'd never sounded this impatient and – he dared to say - annoyed before. She was kind and understanding, a perfect girlfriend and wife material, always agreeing with everything and never being too harsh, never forgetting her place. She was perfect for him and he was determined to build a family with her.

The only thing Stefan didn't like about her was her weird relationship with Damon… a smile twisted his lips as he recalled Damon's defeated expression once Stefan mentioned the wedding.

It was not that he didn't love his brother.

The truth was that since he was a little boy, he adored Damon and he looked up to him. He was brave and smart. He always protected the ones he loved and he never let others make decisions for him. But as they grew up, Stefan couldn't handle the flaws of his brother. Damon was his idol before and Stefan refused to accept that even his big brother made mistakes in his life.

And so his adoration turned into envy and despise. Everything he liked and remembered about Damon became tainted and things became worse when he saw that Elena became enamored with his brother.

Damon… Stefan sighed. Who would have thought that a sweet and innocent girl like Elena would have become such a great friend to him of all people?

Stefan couldn't remember how many nights he'd spent sleepless, wondering if his brother was sneaking around with Elena behind his back.

And he hated himself for it.

TVD

"_Hi, it's Caroline_, _I'm having a damn good time with my girls out of town right now. Please, leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as __I'm sober__ again." _

Damon grinned at the voicemail and he was glad he couldn't reach Caroline. He was ashamed of himself for calling her but he couldn't get out of his mind Stefan's words about his wedding with Elena. He kept thinking about the whole wedding thing and though he'd like to talk to Elena about the event, he just couldn't bring himself to call her. He'd decided to call the town's gossip centre, also known as Caroline Forbes, and now he was almost glad she was out of town. It'd be really weird to have had to explain to her why he needed to know whether the wedding plans were already becoming a reality or not.

He put his cell down onto the chest of drawers and decided to have a nice and long shower. Looking around in his fancy apartment, he smirked. It was everything a man could dream about. The minimalistic modern design, all hard wood and soft materials in the living room, all in white, red and cream; a TV with the coolest home theatre system. He hit the button on the remote and the soft sounds of Moby's _Porcelain_ filled the space while he walked into his bedroom, and shedding out of his clothes, he walked into the shower and turned the water on.

Closing the door behind her, Elena stood hesitantly in the hallway. She heard the tones of the music coming from the living room and she was about to turn around and leave when a voice in the back of her mind stopped her.

She wasn't doing anything wrong with coming here. Damon had told her to stay at his place whenever she saw it fit and _now _was the right time to do it.

Taking a deep breath, she went to his kitchen and she gasped at the beauty of the interior. While everything else in this apartment was dedicated to the latest designs, the kitchen was breathing Provence. She remembered seeing the plans for this kitchen when Damon had decided to do a makeover on his apartment and he was going to have something made of steel, granite, all cold and hard surfaces. It was Elena who mentioned that the kitchen has to be the heart of the living space and it should be something warm and inviting…

And now she stood there, stunned. The place was perfect, beginning with the cabinets sans doors; the hand painted china to the wicker baskets on the lower shelves and lavender on the window sill in terracotta pots.

She placed the grocery bag on the counter and her hands began to tremble as she found more and more details that evoked memories within her. Her gaze caught the fork in the sink, lying on a simple white plate; it was an antique piece of silver, exactly the one she had admired in the window of an antique shop in Chicago. She remembered how excitedly she described the silver cutlery set to Damon back then and he kept listening to her, asking about the details and about the shop.

Never in her dreams did she think he'd find the places she talked about.

She heard a gasp from the kitchen door and turned on her heels, only to let her breath hitch.

"To what do I owe this lovely visit?" Damon stood there with his trademark smirk in nothing else but a red towel around his hips. His hair was damp and his chest glistened. Elena found herself staring at him and gulping; she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"What the hell is this?" She asked with a hint of annoyance as she started to get worked up.

"Excuse me?" He was taken aback with the harsh tone of her voice and took a step closer.

"Stay where you are!" She barked at him.

"Elena, as much as I love seeing you invading my personal living space, I have to ask: what are you doing here?" He asked patiently, his eyes roaming her body before meeting her gaze.

"I thought you were staying at the boarding house and I needed a place all for myself."

"You could have stayed at home." He offered helpfully only to receive a glare from Elena.

"I can't. Katherine is still there." She watched him scrutinizingly and she felt strangely relieved to see that she found guilt on his face and no other emotion.

"Why don't you throw her out?"

"Don't be an ass," she scolded him, ignoring the fact that she'd wanted to do the same just a couple of hours ago. "Not that it's any of your concern, but as it turned out, my sister screwed up her life and she has no place to stay at this moment. So I decided to spend the weekend with Caroline but she is out of town for the next two days…" She shrugged apologetically.

"And you decided to come here." He nodded to himself.

"I don't know if it's a good idea. I didn't know you were actually staying here."

"I usually don't come here," he admitted, "but this time I made an exception. My brother became more annoying than usual."

"I'm afraid to ask." Elena smiled in spite of the crazy beating of her heart against her ribcage. She tried not to feel affected by Damon's practically naked presence but it was damn hard not to stare.

"Oh, you know, he just rubbed my nose into your wonderful wedding plans." His eyes flashed with hurt and rising anger. "You could have warned me, at least. I thought we were friends."

Elena felt his gaze on her and she flushed.

"Don't even try to mention our friendship, Damon." She waved her hand dismissively and groaned. "I knew it was a bad plan to come here. I should be leaving." She grabbed the grocery bag.

"No!" He cried out and she startled. "Stay. You are always welcomed to stay here; you should've known that by now."

She was determined to leave and gripped the bag tightly before making the mistake of looking into his eyes. She couldn't bear when he looked at her like this, pleading and begging for her forgiveness.

She felt a painful squeeze in her chest at the memories of this morning; the hurt and the betrayal.

"You hurt me deeply this morning. Give me a reason to stay." She said quietly. Damon's eyes widened and darkened in a matter of seconds and she swallowed as he came closer.

"Anything you ask…" He whispered and she watched him mesmerized, her mind blank and her thoughts becoming foggy at his proximity.

"I want…" _I want you._ She wanted to say. Her gaze flashed around the kitchen and suddenly she remembered. "I want to know what the hell is this."

"What?" He asked dumbly as he stood in front of her, his gaze boring into hers.

"This kitchen." She waved around.

He blinked and the smirk fell from his lips. He watched her with a hawk eye as he tried to form the proper answer for her question.

"It's just a place I like to stay at." He took another step towards her; he was so close that his chest almost touched hers. She closed her eyes for a second, inhaling his scent deeply; it was clean and fresh. He smelled of his expensive shower gel and something musky and deep; all Damon. She heard his voice, surrounding her like a piece of silk and velvet. "I tried to make everything according to my plans. I remember discussing the interior with the designer and while he showed me all those plans I was paying him for…" He trailed off and he put his hand near hers on the counter, "I found myself dreaming about the kitchen you described to me once… and I couldn't help it. I fired the contractor and hired another one and here is the result of my efforts… and your dreams…"

"What does that mean?" She heard herself whispering, lost in the pools of his eyes.

"A simple kitchen, a confession, a dream..." He leaned closer and hovered above her and she closed her eyes, letting the sensation flood over her." It means whatever you want it to mean."


	8. Chapter 8

**The chapter is betad by the amazing lauren who is also a great in giving advices and helps me with the plot. Lauren, thank you for being patient with me.**

**About this chapter: We are finally getting (slowly) to the Delena goodness. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 08

Elena felt tears pooling in her eyes after Damon's words. Emotions were swirling within her as she kept gazing at him.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered, confused.

He reached out and trailed the line of her chin with his fingers, sending electric currents all over her body. She sighed at the contact and for a short minute allowed herself to lean into his touch.

Damon swallowed at the sight in front of him while his fingers still lingered on her face. When he had seen her standing in his kitchen, he had thought it was just a dream. Soon he'd realized that he wasn't drunk and definitely not asleep. He'd watched her with an amused smile as she put the grocery bag on his counter and he gasped at the sight of her ass in her tight jeans.

She turned around and the world stopped moving for a second as his eyes met hers. The air was sucked out of his lungs at her beauty. He wasn't really surprised that he was aroused in a matter of seconds as his eyes roamed her body, hidden beneath layers of clothes. It was always the same; one peek at the swell of her breasts and he had to stop his fingers from inching towards her.

Her tiny waist always taunted his self control and he fought the urge of touching her constantly. Last night he was lucky enough to feel her soft curves against his; his skin still burned from that touch.

It felt like everything vanished around them as he leaned closer, waiting for her to stop him. From the look in her eyes she was terrified, he could tell.

Hell, he felt scared too. He'd been waiting for this moment for two years.

She'd always turned him down before. She'd pushed him away as soon as he approached her, every single time. He loved to tease her and it was a safe territory for him because he was sure her self control was stronger than his.

Her sweet breath washed over him and her whole body tingled with anticipation. She had been running from this feeling for too long. She wanted this, she wanted to be kissed by Damon, she wanted to do something before she'd get definitely trapped…

She felt his lips ghost over hers and waited for his kiss to come.

She'd give anything to feel him against her body, his mouth smashing hers in a searing kiss. She wanted to feel what Katherine felt.

Katherine.

"Wait." Elena heard herself say just before he'd close the distance between them. "This is not right."

"You've got to be kidding me." He groaned out loud and for a second, Elena thought he'd ignore her plea. She didn't have to be afraid because taking a deep breath, Damon backed off. She exhaled in relief, though with a hint of disappointment she couldn't quite understand.

"No, it's you who's delusional, Damon!" She cried out, unleashing her disappointment on him. "You slept with my sister just a few hours ago! It's disgusting that now you want to seduce me too!"

"Hey, slow down, honey," he said in sarcastic tone. "I'm not your boyfriend or anything, you make it sure all the time that I don't forget my place in your life!" He bit out indignantly. "So you have absolutely no say in who I get to fuck or not!"

"Damon, don't you get it? You can't act like this! Not around me! I need a friend who I can talk to about anything." She tried to stop her word vomit as she saw his walls coming up instantly. He turned around without saying a word and was ready to leave the kitchen, "I don't need any more drama in my life right now."

"So this is what I am to you? A liability?" His head snapped back to her and she immediately regretted her words.

"No it's just…" She shrugged helplessly, "Look, I just needed a place to think about things that are going on between…" She trailed off.

"Between you and Stefan." He finished for her, "and my presence here is a burden to you." It was not a question.

"Don't say things like this."

"Why? Because I make you feel uncomfortable? Because I ask questions you want to ignore?" He regarded her with an icy cold stare. "You're a coward, Elena."

Elena felt all the pent up frustration heat up to the boiling point.

"You don't know anything about me!"

"And now you are a liar, too." He stated with forced calmness, provoking her. "Maybe you are right and I don't know you." He took a step closer, his gaze dangerous and she gulped nervously. "But I know what you are doing. I know you lost both of your parents ten years ago. I know you seek safety and you'd do anything to have a normal family."

"Don't." She whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I know you love my mother as your own and there's a reason behind your choosing Stefan. He was the one who'd offered you his heart and his love when you were torn and grieving."

"Damon…" She said in a tortured voice, "stop it, please."

"I know you feel whole only when I'm around." He said quietly, ignoring her protest. "But you are afraid. Afraid of choosing something unknown… choosing a man whose love could…" He leaned closer and her lids became heavy as his hot breath fanned over the sensitive skin beneath her ear, "consume you."

He let his words die in the silence, listening to her quickened breath.

"You claim I don't know you but I think it's you who really don't know what you want. Believe me, I get it." His lips touched her earlobe and she sucked the air in with a loud hiss. His gaze fell on the grocery bag and he caught a glimpse of something familiar. "See, I know what you want to do right now." He whispered huskily and she shuddered in response.

"What?" She managed to squeak, feeling completely under his thrall. She'd do anything at the moment, just to feel his body against her, for once, for one single and dark second of guilty pleasure… She didn't see Damon's smirk. He finally had her where he wanted to have her; flushed and ready for him.

But it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to have the response of her body. He'd waited too long for this. He was greedy and he wanted more.

"I think the thing you want right now is to have a nice, long bath in my bathroom." He said triumphantly with a smirk and her eyes popped open. The desire was replaced with confusion in her eyes and ignoring her body's plea screaming for the sweet release, she put her frustration into her words.

"You're an ass!" She fumed and pushing him out of her way, she pulled out the bubble bath from the bag, ready to throw it at him.

"You know, I quite enjoy fighting with you," He said with a smirk and caught her hand with ease, "but I'm practically naked and if you don't want to see me lose my towel, I suggest you to calm down."

"Fine." She lowered her hand, avoiding his gaze. "You are right. I'm exhausted and I really would welcome a nice hot bath."

"Why don't you go to my bedroom and get rid of your clothes?" He offered without any sexual innuendo but the blush spreading on her cheeks told him she took his words differently. "I mean," He cleared his throat, "I have only one spare bedroom and it's not finished yet. It's furnished yet there's a problem with the faucet in the bathroom attached to it and the only functioning bathtub is in my…" He trailed off, as he realized he was babbling.

"It's okay." She shrugged. "I'd love to use your bathroom, if you don't mind."

Ten minutes later Elena found herself sitting on the edge of Damon's enormous bathtub; it was so big that two people could easily fit into it. She heard him whistling in the bedroom and it made her nervous to realize that both of them were practically naked. Though, he was just about getting dressed up and she was in his bathrobe, waiting for the steaming hot water fill the tub, and they were separated by the bathroom door, but still. There was something utterly intimate in sharing a place with Damon, something she'd never enjoyed with Stefan before.

What the hell was she doing here? Why was her mind so foggy and why didn't she ask about Damon's reasons to make a kitchen to her liking?

She fidgeted with the hem of the robe, unsure what to do. She kept her mind blank, dreading the moment she had to think about her life and about Stefan's proposal.

Shrugging out of Damon's robe, she sank into the hot bubbles, letting her gaze sweep around the dark tiles and the full length mirror. It was so calm and peaceful in there, and when the soft sounds of music surrounded her, it was easy to shut the world out and forget everything. Her nerves started to relax slowly as the hot water washed away the tension from her muscles.

Her head fell back on the headrest of the porcelain tub as she kept staring at the ceiling above her and she wasn't really surprised when tears found their way down her cheeks. It felt so good to be alone with her thoughts and emotions; it was like everything could be resolved easily, she just needed the one last push to finally overstep her shadow.

She almost dozed off in there when a soft knock on the door interrupted her, followed by Damon who walked inside wearing a pair of washed jeans and his trademark smirk.

"Damon, what are you doing in here?" She yelled at him with wide eyes, sitting up in the water. She looked around quickly, so she could grab his robe but it was out of her reach. Fear washed over her, with a hint of excitement as he came closer with a bottle of chilled champagne and two flutes.

"Oh come on, Elena," He rolled his eyes as he turned to the counter and filled the flutes with champagne, "I can assure you I can't see through the bubbles."

"W-what are you doing?" She stuttered, sinking deeper into the water.

"Here," He turned back to her, handing her one of the glasses. He sank onto the floor next to the tub unceremoniously and clinked his glass to hers. Her mouth became dry and she didn't know what to do. It was a dangerous game he played here and she wasn't sure how she would react if he…

"So, I thought, we should make up." He brought her out of her thoughts, as he pressed his back against the wall of the tub.

"And it couldn't wait until I finished my bath?" She put as much irony into her voice as she could.

"Drink your champagne." He flashed a look at her and for a second it felt like he saw deep inside her soul. She took a sip and then handed the flute back to him.

"I want to get out. I can't talk to you like this," she said quietly. "Can you give me a towel?"

She hoped he'd comply without any hidden agenda and she was relieved to see that he stood up without as much as saying a word and handed her a fluffy white towel and left the bathroom after that, taking the champagne with him.

She toweled herself dry, still confused about what happened. She'd expected him to make some stupid move and she felt slightly disappointed that he gave up so easily. It was so not Damon-like; he always had some plan and he never gave up once he made up his mind. She put on her yoga pants and a camisole, toweling her hair dry before walking back into his bedroom.

"Seriously?" She sighed in annoyance when she spotted him standing at the window, gazing into the darkness.

He turned to her and gave her a look before walking closer to her.

"I was thinking." He started as he approached her and sat down on his bed. "I'm tired of this, Elena."

"Tired of what?" She asked with fear lacing her thoughts. She wasn't sure she was ready for this conversation.

"This thing going on between us." He looked up at her and she couldn't tear her gaze from him. "We keep dancing around each other for two years now."

"You just enjoy toying with me and it bugs you that I don't give in like any other girl in town." She said petulantly, though her voice trembled a bit.

"Is this what you think?" He rose up so he could stand in front of her, "There's something going on between us and you know it!" He reached for her face, stroking her chin gently.

"No, Damon, what I know is that you sleep with everyone you've met and who's willing, including my sister." She palmed his hand and their fingers entwined. "This is not the way to convince me about the depth of your feelings towards me."

"Then let me prove it."

Her eyes widened as saucers, not sure if she wanted to know what was going to happen next.

"Look," He sighed and let her go; she missed the contact immediately. "I know I've hurt you. I'm not good and you should probably get away from me as far as possible."

"Damon…" She let out a breath. It hurt even to imagine her life without him.

"But if you want to give it a chance, just for once living your life fully, with adventure and passion and even with a little danger, then let me prove to you how good we can be together." He came behind her and she felt the heat of his body radiating towards her.

"I'm not going to cheat on Stefan." She said with the last ounce of self control.

"I'm not asking you to. I promise I won't touch you until you ask me to."

"What do you want then?" She sighed exasperated, keeping her gaze on the floor.

"Give me a chance to show you a different world. A world without expectations and obligations. A world where you can be free and where you can become yourself."

"It's impossible." She mumbled.

"I beg to differ." He whispered, his lips grazing against her earlobe and her knees began to tremble. "Give me a chance before you make the biggest mistake of you life…"

"And if it doesn't work out?"

"Then we can be friends again. I'll stay out of your life and you can live your happily after." He said with sincerity and for a second, Elena believed him.

And that one second was enough for her to say, 'Yes'. It was weak and her insides quivered, but there it was. She said yes to Damon's offer.

And somehow she felt like she just sold her soul to the devil himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Lauren3210 it's always a pleasure to work with you! *winks* Your amazing idea made this chapter sparkle lol !**

**Thank to all of you for your amazing support, girls. I'm glad that so many of you put on alert my stories and though I value all my silent readers, the reviews I get for my stories are making me truly happy and smiling. **

**CHAPTER 09**

"_And in that moment, everything I knew to be true about myself up until then was gone. I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before." (Bridges Of Madison County)  
_

"I don't get you." Elena's soft voice broke the silence. They occupied the ridiculously big white leather sofa in Damon's living room, sharing a red fluffy blanket, only their toes touching as they were perched up on each end of the couch; there was an opened book lying in Elena's lap while Damon worked on his laptop and the soft music of Mozart surrounded them. The only light in the room was coming from the art-deco Tiffany lamp that gave her enough light for reading.

They'd had a nice dinner, Damon cooked, of course, and she helped him, as always. He'd been nice, so nice in fact, that he didn't even comment on her outfit, the camisole and the yoga pants she wore instead of pj's, though she felt his gaze on her all the time.

The dinner had been playful and light; they'd chatted and joked while eating and Elena had to admit, it felt nice doing something this simple for once. When they moved to the living room and Damon opened a bottle of red wine for her while he helped himself to the bourbon he loved to drink, she definitely started to feel weird. She tried to get into the story she was reading but she stole glances at Damon time and time again.

He didn't pay attention to her and it gave her an opportunity to study his face. She rarely saw him being this serious, as he stared at the screen in his lap and his fingers moved quickly over the keys. Though it felt wrong, she let her eyes wander over his features, secretly liking what she saw. He was strikingly handsome, she'd always known that. But usually he kept up an act and he barely looked this relaxed and so himself. As hard as it was to admit, she liked this side of him. She liked it a lot.

"What?" He looked up from his work questioningly and Elena felt bad instantly, for interrupting him. She was about to apologize when she recognized his trademark smirk and she knew he didn't mind the interruption.

"This…" She waved around coyly. "You seem so… normal."

"Geez, thanks, Lena." He closed the laptop and put it on the coffee table, frowning. "You know me for two years and this is the first time you see me behave? I had to make quite an impression on you."

"Honestly?" She quirked her brow playfully. "I thought you were going to pull some stupid stunt…" She trailed off, blushing deeply.

"You're actually accusing me for… what? For being a nice guy for once?" He said slowly once it dawned on him what she failed to express. "And here I thought you'd appreciate that I'm trying to give you the space you need and letting you have a night for yourself."

She leaned closer, not caring that the book slipped from her lap and she grabbed his hand. It was so unusual seeing him vulnerable and hurt for a second before he turned his gaze away from her. Her heart sank at the sight.

"Damon, look at me." He made an attempt to pull away his hand and she tightened her hold on his fingers. She knew he was stronger than her and she was happy he let her win this time. "I appreciate it. Thank you for being such a great friend to me."

"And now you are just being silly." He flashed a smile at her and all of a sudden, she became aware of the closeness they shared.

"Shut up!" She released his hand, ignoring the tingles his touch left on her skin. "How can you ruin everything all the time?"

Damon watched her with amusement as she tossed the plaid aside and leapt off the couch gracefully. He so loved to annoy her, knowing she'd always act as an angry kitten in response, huffing and throwing empty threats toward him. There was something utterly alluring seeing her like this; her cheeks turned pink and her eyes threw bolts of lightning in every direction as her long shiny hair whirled around her like a chocolate veil.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly and the smile slowly melted away from his lips at the sight of her hard peaks underneath her flimsy shirt. The all too familiar longing exploded within him once again, followed by the same melancholic feeling that never let him forget whom this wonderful woman belonged to. He was well aware of the fact that they were in this situation because of Stefan; and he was getting sick from the situations that evolved always around Stefan. Elena didn't come here to see Damon. She just was running from his saint brother.

And apparently, their great, peaceful night was coming to an end.

"What did you expect?" He swallowed his disappointment as he stood up and folded the blanket meticulously, avoiding her stare.

"I don't know. Some silly, crazy yet funny act." She shrugged hesitantly. "Don't get me wrong but I thought you'd be more… forward once we'd get an apartment just for the two of us."

"Excuse me?" His jaw hit the floor. "You expected me to take advantage of you? Oh my…" He let his words die, holding the folded blanket in front of him, to cover his hardening response to her words.

"This is what you are trying to do all the time." She mumbled, finding the sight of the hardwood floor underneath her feet quite interesting as she said it.

"Do crazy things, because I'm Damon, the clown of the prestigious Salvatore family?" His words became harsher than intended, as his desire mixed with growing anger within him.

"No, please… I didn't mean it like that…" She pleaded with him but his cold glare made her shut her mouth.

"Forget it." He placed the blanket on the arm of the couch and started to walk towards his bedroom.

"Damon!"

"There are new sheets in the guest room, I'm sure you can find them. Good night, Elena." He spoke quietly, without sparing a glance at her and closed the bedroom door behind him.

She stood there, feeling strangely empty.

Eventually, she came out of her stupor and went to the guest room. It was a nice room, with light yellow walls and dark wood furniture; it contrasted nicely with the white orchids on the nightstand. She walked to the closet, so she could take the new, crisp white sheets to the bed and sighing deeply, she switched the lamp off before sinking into the bed.

Hours later she found herself staring at the ceiling, again. She felt so exhausted yet sleep avoided her. Feeling thirsty, she tiptoed back into the kitchen to take a bottle of water from the fridge. The house was silent and with every step she took, the floor squeaked a little.

She was happy to be back in the guest room and though the bed was more than comfortable and she couldn't complain about the lack of privacy yet her eyes snapped open every time after another wave of guilt washed over her.

She was so occupied in her thoughts that she missed the sound of the opening door. All she could feel was the bed moving as a dark shadow slipped underneath her sheets.

"What are you doing here?" She whisper-yelled at him

"Trying to get some sleep." He replied nonchalantly and ignored Elena's efforts as she tried to push him out of the bed. "You shouldn't make so much noise in my kitchen. I was trying to get some sleep but I gave up after I assumed that you just wanted to get my attention. So, here you have me and now I'm going to make sure we both get some sleep."

"This is ridiculous." Elena tossed the sheets aside.

"Where are you going?"

"It's too hot in here, I can't sleep anyway."

"I can think of a way to cool you off…"

"No, thanks." She glared at him in the moonlight.

"I think you'd enjoy it." He sounded cryptic.

"In your dreams, perv."

"I wasn't talking about sex, Lena. But if you want to spend a steamy night with me, all you have to do is ask and I'll happily oblige. I'm easy like that, honey." He said in a sing-song voice and Elena was glad he couldn't see her blush in the darkness.

"I'm going to pretend you never said that." She folded her arms over her chest. "What else could you be talking about?"

He sat up in the bed slowly.

"Are you really up for some adventure, Gilbert?"

"Just tell me what it is, Damon!" She cried out exasperatedly.

"Come." He said in a commanding tone and she felt her insides quiver in response.

He led the way out of her bedroom and she followed him warily.

"Put on your flip-flops," he said to her.

"Are we going somewhere? I need to change first."

"We are not leaving the building."

Elena arched a brow and she tried to suppress the excitement that made her feel like a school girl. She followed Damon to the stairs that led to the roof of the building. Elena gasped at the sight of the star dotted sky above them.

"Oh my, this is beautiful!" She cried out in surprise as her eyes took in the surroundings. She certainly didn't expect to see a big jacuzzi and elegant furniture up there, sheltered by plants and a glasshouse.

"Come." He didn't even try to hide the pride in his voice as he stretched his hand to take hers.

"I can't." She shook her head.

"Elena." He let his hand fall and his gaze grew serious. "Your problems are still going to be there when you get home. Step away from your life for five minutes. You won't regret it, I promise."

It felt like walking on hot coals as she took the first hesitant steps forward.

"I really shouldn't." She stuttered.

Damon was a few steps ahead of her and unlocking the glass door, he flashed an annoyed look at her.

"No one's going to bite you, Lena. And in case you worry about your virtue, let me get something clear: I've never had to force myself on a woman before and I really have no intention to start being that guy now, okay?" He finished with a sarcastic tone and gave her a hard look. Elena was embarrassed to hear him voicing all of her worries.

"Okay." She straightened her shoulders and followed him into the cabin.

"Make yourself comfortable." He said quietly as he turned the faucet on and the hot steamy water started to fill the tub and he went to switch the lights on.

"Don't." She whispered.

"Why not?"

"I want to watch the stars above." She admitted coyly and his lips twisted with an amused smile.

"We aim to please." He said feeling relieved that Elena finally wasn't afraid to share the same room with him. He poured champagne into the flutes and placed them onto the table next to the tub; the only sound in the room was coming from the faucet as the water streamed and hit the porcelain.

Turning his back to her, he stripped his jeans down and stepped into the whirling water. Once in the water, he turned his gaze to Elena, who stood there biting her bottom lip nervously. She was was still struggling with what felt right and wrong.

"What are you waiting for?"

"I don't have a bathing suit with me." She said quietly.

"Do you wear panties under your shorts?" He asked lazily, while taking a sip from the champagne. His eyes never left her and she felt her cheeks heat up. She nodded again because she was afraid her voice would betray her disturbing emotions. "You can strip into your bra and panties, so it'd look like you're wearing a bikini."

The way he talked about her most private pieces of clothes made her feel hot and flushed. He shouldn't speak to her this way; Stefan was always so polite about these things… She shook her head. She didn't want to think about Stefan tonight.

Slowly, she slipped out of her flip-flops and her eyes locked with Damon's. He was challenging her with his confident smirk and deep inside he expected her to turn around and run. She knew that look and she got what it meant. Damon knew she was a coward and that she always chose the safe way.

For a second, she considered to turn around and leave and to return to the safety net of Stefan's arms. But a part, a well hidden part inside her slowly crawled out of the deep and dared her to stay and delve into the night; the night which turned into this strangely erotic moment.

She saw Damon swallow as his gaze slowly went serious and blazing as he realized she wasn't going to run tonight. Straightening his spine, he shifted in his seat as she hooked her fingers into the hem of her pants and began slide them down her supple thighs and slender legs. His mouth went dry and his tongue darted out to lick his lips at the sight of her rolling hips; she was a smoldering temptress and she didn't even know it.

Her heart raced as her eyes never left his. She cursed herself for her inability to be more forward and brave. She felt like a schoolgirl on her first night with a boy and the thought frightened her.

Walking closer, only in her white panties that left almost nothing to the imagination, she saw the admiration in Damon's eyes and the heat she'd never recognized in other men's eyes before. With every taken step she left a piece of her self-consciousness behind and her body started to buzz with life. Lifting her leg, she bent down to support herself while climbing into the tub and Damon nearly groaned at the sight of her parting thighs. He clutched the flute in his hand and then placed it back on the table; he was afraid he'd crush the fragile piece of crystal with the force of desire he felt at the moment.

"You left your shirt on." He said huskily, covering his lust with a cocky smile.

"I wear nothing beneath it." She felt the blush creep up on her cheeks as she lowered herself into the hot water.

"It's dark outside." He reasoned with her though his fingers itched to touch her. "I won't see the difference, trust me."

"I really don't know…" She whispered.

"Let me help you." He moved closer, the water splashing around him, and she felt panic rising within her as he stood up. The heat radiated from his body, the steam swirling around them as she slowly turned around but not before her eyes swept over his glistening chest.

"I'm so afraid…"

"It's just me, Elena." She shivered at the contact as his fingers found their way to the hem of her shirt. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you."

Rising her arms, she let him pull the camisole over her head and throw it onto the dark floor. She felt so insecure and exposed that she barely registered his trembling fingers as he let his hand fall and graze the soft skin on her sides. All he wanted was to grab and turn her around and kiss her senseless; but he knew it was a test, in control and in trust.

It was a huge step for Elena, letting her walls go down for the night and he wasn't going to ruin it for her. For them.

"All done." He whispered and suddenly, she had a problem breathing. She was afraid to move first; but as she turned around, she found him sitting in the far corner of the tub.

Her hands flew up to cover her breasts as she expected him to avert his gaze; but Damon, being Damon, never did what she expected. His gaze told her, he already saw the goods and he liked what he saw.

She lowered herself into the water, letting the heat surround her and to cover her nervousness, she reached for the champagne, taking a mouthful from the sparkling liquid. She expected him to say something or to make an attempt to get closer to her; but none of it happened. Damon leaned back against the headrest, watching the sky through the glass roof.

Elena let the warm water soothe her nerves and after a few minutes of calming silence, she felt brave enough to help herself to the second glass of champagne, and considering she had already drank wine that night, the world seemed nicer and her problems looked more simple than in the daylight. She followed Damon's pattern and let her eyes wander over the starry sky above.

"So," Damon decided to break the silence the moment she thought they were going to spend a night without words. "What's with the wedding thing?" He kept his tone light but it didn't escape his attention that Elena immediately tensed up.

"Don't ruin this night, please…" She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, I meant no harm here." He turned his gaze to her only to see the water splashing around her as she reached for the champagne flute again.

He watched the droplets of water running down from her neck to her collarbone until they met the water again; the moonlight turned the small rivulets into liquid silver beads, making her skin glow in the night. He nearly groaned at the sight of the swell of her breasts and his palms itched to cup them, to feel their sweet weight as they'd fit into his hands for him to caress, kiss, lick and suck at them… He needed to stay in control for the night; to prove himself, to do the good thing just for once…

"Sorry, I overreacted." She said quietly.

"Do you really want to marry him?"

"A part of me does," She admitted feeling strangely relieved saying it out loud. "A part of me wants all the things you pointed out. A good man for a husband, a couple of kids and everything that people want. I know Stefan is the one who can give me that dream."

"Why do you make it sound like that's a bad thing?" He asked, ignoring the pain coursing through his chest, feeling like someone stabbed him.

"It's not necessarily bad," She whispered. "It's just… I feel like I'm letting myself drift away with the stream… like I have to please everyone and finally give Stefan, my friends, my family what they want… And this is why it feels wrong."

"Why?" He asked bluntly.

"Because I believe when a woman decides to marry, a new chapter of her life opens; but it also means that the previous chapter must come to an end. Some things have to stop…" She felt tears prickling her eyes. "And I'm not sure I'm ready to let that part of me go. I feel like I've never lived before and it's too soon to give up everything…"

"What do you want for real, Elena?"

"You said it correctly, Damon," she said and her vision blurred. She felt tired and surely she was drunk. "Sometimes I want to live dangerously… to step out of line… do crazy things…" She trailed off and averting her gaze from the night sky she looked at him. "I was the good girl of our family, all the time. I was so good and nice," she chuckled bitterly, "that I didn't even get a hickey in high school. I was so afraid of what people would say seeing me like that… the girls all sported hickeys on their necks and everywhere else, they were proud of it… yet I remained a coward, the same old boring me like I am today."

Damon watched her with slackened jaw.

"I need to get you drunk more often if you are going to say things like this." He murmured, more to himself but the glare she shot at him revealed that she heard him well.

"You think I don't know what I'm talking about, Damon?" She tried to sound serious but her lips were twitching as she tried to suppress her smirk.

"I think the booze took away your memories from high school." He teased her trying to keep the mood light though he was aware of the fact their words crossed an imaginary line. And suddenly, he didn't know if it was right.

"It's not a lie!" She sat up and from her posture it was clear to Damon that she completely forgot about her topless state though he tried to keep his eyes on her face. It was a damn hard thing, pun definitely intended. "I swear I've never known the pleasure of my skin being sucked and bitten!" She exclaimed placing her glass onto the table.

"I can't believe it… not even Stefan?" He had to be surely drunk if he asked about his brothers bed manners.

"Oh, please," She snorted with an unlady-like noise "He thinks I'm a fragile china doll. He wouldn't do that." She rolled her eyes before narrowing them at Damon. "But you… all your girlfriends are leaving your bedroom with marked skin…"

She gave him a pointed look.

"No way." He said slowly as his mind started to race and the raging desire threatened to cloud his brain. "I'm not going to do it. You are nothing like them." He finished with a firm tone.

"I hate that fucking pedestal you all glued me there to stand on it all the time!" She cried out, looking positively upset. Damon watched her in awe and his pulse throbbed loudly in his ears. Never in the past two years did Elena lose her verbal filter, nor did she complain about her being adored like she was the local goddess of Mystic Falls.

It was a rare moment, seeing her like this and for a second his gaze lowered to feast on her round breasts with hard, dusky peaks. He almost groaned as the desire for her became painful and the need to touch her was starting to overwhelm him. He barely could think straight and it frightened him.

"Elena, calm down…" He knew it was a bad move; he asked for this moment and now witnessing the true, passionate nature of Elena scared the shit out of him. He couldn't handle this, not now when he was drunk and his mind was filled with all the sensual images he wanted to do to this girl.

"I'm not going to calm down and stay quiet!" She cried out desperately. "All my life I did nothing, just listened to my parents and covered for my slut sister! You can't imagine just how many times I had to stay calm and quiet! And when I finally got free from them, I had to meet Stefan and his stupid ideas about love and the perfect woman! And I thought he loved me when I came to this town…" Her anger slowly vanished, turning into sadness. "But he loves the idea of having a cookie cutter wife more than the real me! I can't fulfill his wishes, I can't be who he wants me to be… I feel like I'm suffocating…" She breathed hard before bursting into tears.

"Hey, love, come here…" He scooted closer in the water, pulling her against his chest and almost groaning at the feeling of her soft breasts pressing against his skin. "I'm here, shh…"

"Where were you, Damon?" She mumbled into his shoulder, her hands hanging lifelessly at her sides. "Whenever I need you, you are gone… always with another woman… with my sister…" Her tears flowed freely now and Damon felt that stab of guilt again.

"I was angry and she provoked me…" He croaked lamely.

"I don't want to hear it." She jerked away her head from his shoulder and put a distance between them. "I feel alone all the time, Damon." Her big doe eyes bored into his blue ones with so much sadness it made him want to cry.

"You have me."

"What?" She got mad again in a matter of seconds and laughed mirthlessly. "You are just toying with me! You can't have me and that's what bugs the shit out of you!" She saw the hurt in his eyes but she didn't care.

"I told you I want to change…"

"And I believe you will. But you can't see me as a bad girl, can you? You are idealizing me like your brother does, right?"

"It's not true." He tried to reason with her but she waved him off.

"You know what? This is stupid. Everything is stupid and irrelevant." She stood up, letting the water fall and swirl around her and she didn't care if Damon could see practically everything, from her ripe breasts down her flat stomach to the white panties that had become translucent from the water. Damon gulped and gripped the edge of the tub with so much force it turned his knuckles white, at the sight of her sweet mound underneath those panties. He barely registered she was angry and about to leave. "Thank you for tonight, Damon. It was fun while it lasted and I'm glad you reminded me who I really am."

And with that she climbed out of the tub, sliding into her flip-flops leaving him behind. Damon was taken aback and he certainly had a feeling that his jaw was going to hit the floor.

Elena didn't bother with putting some clothes on after she slammed the door of the guestroom shut. She went to the bathroom and getting rid of her wet panties she toweled herself dry before going to bed. She was so angry with herself and with her horrific ideas it almost made her cry. Pulling the sheet over her head she made a promise to herself to never let her walls down again.

Suddenly, the door was pried open and a very angry Damon barged into the room.

"Damon, what ar-" She started but was cut off with him grabbing the sheets that covered her. He'd changed into a dry pair of boxers but his body was still wet, he hadn't bothered to dry himself up. Elena watched him with fear rising within her. "I'm naked!"

"I don't care." He put his knees on the bed and crawled over her until her whole body was perched underneath his and he hovered over her like a dark, menacing shadow. "You want me to handle you like I handle any other woman? And here I thought I'd be nice and understanding but apparently, I was being wrong, again!" He barked out.

"Da-"

"Quiet!" He hissed at her as he got a hold of the sheet and slowly pulled it from her shoulder. She couldn't move; her eyes bored into his and she felt like a mouse under the spell of a snake, trembling and helpless, unable to avert her gaze. This was what she was asking for and she couldn't tell if she was trembling from desire or fear. "You wanted me to act like you were like a piece of meat? Do you think it's funny?"

"N-no…" She shook her head slightly and his gaze softened a little.

"Tell me you were just joking, Elena." He almost pleaded with her and somehow his tone made it clear that she'd awakened something in him that he desperately wanted to stop. Gone was the friend and they'd entered an uncharted territory; it was strange yet exciting. He didn't need to explain her what he was asking; it was clear for both of them that he was talking about her plea in the water.

Even in her drunken haze, Elena knew she'd never felt more alive than at that moment. The blood rushed in her veins, making her head spin and she didn't want to give it a name what was happening but sure as hell she wasn't going to back out now.

"I wasn't." She said quietly and their breaths mixed as both of them tried to calm down. His eyes were boring into hers demanding, pleading and challenging.

"Where?" Was the only thing he needed to know.

Was it really happening? She felt like watching a movie. Things like this never happened to her. She had to be dreaming.

In a dream anything that she wanted could happen… And right now she wanted to feel his lips over her heated skin. Giving him a certain look, she pulled her hair from her shoulder and one of his hands immediately slipped around her shoulders to lift her up a little. Her breath quickened as she felt him hesitate. The urge to feel his lips on her skin became unbearable and she nearly whimpered when his hold over her upper body tightened; like a predator trapping it's prey.

They gazes met for a second and a quiet 'please' left her lips before he lowered his head and his warm and soft lips finally touched her heated skin, just above her shoulder where she was the most sensitive. She tried to get ready for the unpleasant feeling, to brace herself against the slight pain she surely was going to feel but nothing compared to the feeling of Damon's soft kisses over the skin of her neck. Her insides sprung to life and her stomach tightened in expectation.

He'd kissed her neck before. It became a habit between them during those years. But he always kissed her as a friend and not as a man, a lover who was warming her up with his sensual movements as his fingers moved over her shoulder blades slowly, soothingly… although his touch was sizzling and electrifying.

His lips slid over her skin with ease and he slowly let them part so he could finally taste her. He always wondered what her skin would taste like; but nothing could prepare him for the rich taste exploding on his tongue that faintly reminded him of chocolate and cherries. He was drunk; drunk for her, drunk with her taste that filled his mouth and he realized, he was going to pay dearly for this slice of heaven.

She felt her back arch from the bed, trying to get closer to him, to press her whole body against his.

"More…" She heard herself say and though it all felt surreal and unbelievable, her mind kept whispering in the back of her head that maybe this time it wasn't a dream. His tongue drew lazy circles over her skin, getting it more sensitive until the point she thought she might explode.

"Ready?" He whispered against her skin, waiting for her chicken out and stop him. Her fingers slid into his raven black hair and for a second he wondered if she'd push him away; but in reality, she was guiding him, his lips lowered almost to the place where her breasts swelled, letting the sheets slide a little bit more so they were barely covering her rock hard nipples. He'd never thought he was going to be this lucky, being in such proximity to those taunting rosebuds of hers.

He blew over her skin, feeling satisfied to see the goosebumps erupt in response and he tried to drag out the moment before it came to an end all too soon.

But he couldn't wait anymore. She was getting impatient and he felt the pull on his hair as she yanked him closer.

"Now!" She hissed at him and the next moment a strangled cry left her lips as she felt his teeth sink into her. The feeling was indescribable as he added a gentle suckling to the sensation of his teeth marking her. He didn't want to get too rough with her but as her moans hit his ears, he felt himself growing impossibly harder. What began as an erotic game for them slowly turned more and more serious as his tongue danced back and forth on her skin before sucking at it gently again.

"Damon, more!" She threw her head back onto the pillow as her fingers gripped his hair wildly. His mind became fuzzy and he was on the verge of losing his self control as he grabbed the hem of the sheet that covered her body from his sight and with a swift motion, he pulled it lower until one of her tight nipples filled his view. He didn't think; he acted on instinct as his lips closed around that pert piece of flesh. "Oh my God!" She cried into the night as their pelvises ground together and the heat of her core radiated into his hardness. "So good…" She whispered as one of his hands moved to her other breast, massaging and caressing it lightly. He licked the skin in slow motions and when her moans grew significantly louder, he flattened his tongue and lapped all around her areola before turning his attention to the other nipple, repeating the procedure over again while his fingertips circled around the wet skin of the released one.

He was so busy kissing her breast that he barely registered her quickening breaths and the moves she made. Her fingers left his hair and dug into his shoulders as he cupped her breast and squeezed the peak between his thumb and index finger, while still licking the other one. He began to suck at the puckered skin rhythmically and her breath was caught as she squirmed with pleasure. His lips and fingers brought her to heights of pleasure she had never even dreamed about. She was lost in the sensation and she couldn't tell if he was playing with her only for minutes or hours and she didn't even care; all that mattered, was the exquisite feeling he awakened within her.

"Don't stop…" She managed to moan before he bit her nipple playfully and that did it. Her body arched from the bed and she pushed her breast deeper into his mouth and her whole body spasmed and quivered as the most intense orgasm of her life shook her from her breast right into her core.

She whispered his name over and over again and the flicks of his tongue and the motions of his fingers slowed down but never fully stopped, helping her ride out the waves of pleasure until the last second.

Her breathing calmed down and her hold on his shoulders weakened and Damon lifted his head in wonder.

"Elena?" He called out her name and got no response from her. He lifted himself from her body to look closer to see if he wasn't mistaken… but there she was, Elena, the woman who finally allowed him to touch her, to feel her, was laying there and fell a_sleep. _

"What the…" He whispered to himself though as he recalled, she'd drank a large amount of alcohol tonight so no wonder she passed out. He chuckled bitterly, because his body literally ached from the need of release. He considered for a second to sneak out of the room and take care of his 'little' problem.

But then Elena had to turn on her side and her hand reached out for him, pulling him closer. So, with a groan he let himself fall next to her and pulling the sheets over both of them, he spooned her from behind, wondering if he could ever get a second of sleep for the night.

Her small hand sought out his fingers and pulled until she was wrapped in his embrace and after a contented sigh, she snuggled into the pillow again. Damon breathed in the scent of jasmine that seemed always to linger around her and several second later, he let the exhaustion overtake him too. He didn't know what tomorrow held for them but this moment, this night was theirs and no one would take that away from them.


	10. Chapter 10

**I own nothing. Just playing. **

**Huge thanks go to the wonderful Lauren who did her magic on this chapter. **

**CHAPTER 10**

"Ouch…" Elena woke up with a start at the discomfort radiating from her nipples, finding herself in an empty bed. Opening her eyes, she recognized Damon's guestroom and the awful headache told her that she'd drunk way too much last night.

The sheets fell from her upper body; looking down she gasped to see the giant hickey right below her collarbone.

"Oh shit!" She yelled out and tossing the sheets aside, she scurried into the bathroom and looking into the mirror above the sink, her eyes widened in horror, seeing that not only that had happened, but also, her nipples were engorged, reddened and too sensitive to the touch. "What the hell…" she whispered to herself before climbing into the shower. The hot water soothed the ache slightly as she stood there for at least ten minutes and the memories started to come back with vengeance.

She'd spent the night with Damon. She'd betrayed Stefan's and Christina's trust. She'd thrown out of the window the priorities and values she stood for.

"Oh my God…" She whispered to herself, leaning back against the cool tiles.

Everything she believed in, came crashing down around her. Her morals, her idea about love and the future were blown out of the window last night. She had lived in her safe little bubble with Stefan until now… and the walls of the same bubble had been shattered last night.

She felt something undeniable whenever Damon was around; it was nothing new. She loved how her body buzzed with life in his presence. She loved how he made her feel. She loved so many things about him, but always managed to keep her distance.

Always… until now.

And suddenly, she started to question herself. Why did it take this long for them to come together?

Where they even together? What did it even mean to her? To Damon?

She knew all the reasons that she'd had to keep herself away from him. He was selfish and self centered. He was ruthless when it came to business and to women. He took what he wanted and moved on. Every. Single. Time.

What had she done?

How was she going to face the world after this? She already felt ashamed of herself with a hint of regret.

Regret… Secretly, she'd imagined so many times how it'd feel to know the touch of his lips and his hands. She'd wondered whether Katherine was right and he'd really had poor bed skills. Now she knew the answer.

He'd made her come merely by kissing her nipples… Her insides clenched and she felt the response of her body to that particular memory. Oh, what this man was capable of! How good it had to be to belong completely to him!

She shook her head at the sinful thoughts and images pushing into her mind, various scenarios and positions, all naughty and all Damon…

She turned the water off in a hope that her inappropriate thoughts would disappear too.

Walking back to the guestroom, she made an attempt to dress up but her nipples still ached and throbbed. She stood there dressed only in a pair of jeans, with her now useless bra and shirt in her hand when opening the door, Damon walked in with his trademark smirk plastered over his face. She covered her breasts cringing.

"Good morning, sunshine!" He greeted her and his eyes swept over her bare torso with a fascination. "Don't bother covering up at my expense."

"I'm too sensitive." She hissed at him, hating that he looked so damn handsome in his grey t-shirt and dark washed jeans; his hair was still wet from the shower he'd taken earlier. She could smell his aftershave and something that was utterly Damon while she surely looked like a complete wreck. His expression turned serious in an instant and walked closer with a concerned look.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked quietly, placing his hands over her shoulder.

"No, of course, not!" She said hoarsely, her face turning red in an instant as she pulled away from him, ignoring his defeated look.

"Elena, what's wrong? Talk to me, dammit!" He was getting worked up and he felt a surge of fear shoot through him. What was she hiding from him?

"It's nothing." She mumbled.

"Please…" It was unheard of him to plead and she slowly looked up in his eyes.

"My nipples.. are kind of sore." She said quietly and relief washed over his features mixed with guilt. He almost laughed out loud with relief but the scowl on Elena's face warned him to stay put.

"Let me have a look."

"No way…" She made an attempt to shake him off, unsuccessfully.

"Come on, I saw you naked last night!"

"I was drunk, okay?" She shot back, sounding too harsh even for her ears.

"What does that mean?" He was taken aback for a second before the mask of indifference slipped into its place again. "You regret what happened, right?"

She averted her gaze.

"I get it." His tone was serene and his eyes unreadable. "Now that we are clear, show me your tits, I want to see the damage I made on your virginal skin."

"Don't be an ass." She bit her lip, still hesitating.

"I'm a dick, honey." He placed his warm hand over hers and gently pushing them out of his way, he almost fell to his knees at the sight unfolding in front of him. Her breast were exactly as round and perfect as he remembered them from last night and he needed all of his self control not to put his mouth over them once again. He'd already relieved himself once in the shower this morning and here his body was roaring with desire for Elena again.

Her nipples had turned into a lovely colour of ripe raspberries and were engorged and he licked his lips in want to taste them. She was standing there like a statue, her expression timid and actually looking like she was under the scrutiny of her doctor.

Unconsciously, Elena straightened her shoulders under his stare. Her clit twitched with arousal as he swallowed and watched her in awe in the daylight, his eyes twinkling and intense. This time, there was no excuse of them being drunk. This time they both were sober and aware of what was happening.

Her hands fell to her sides and holding her breath, she watched him lean forward and very gently, very carefully, he kissed her aching peaks, one after another, his lips barely touching her skin. She just stood there, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the pure, unadulterated desire shooting through her body that overshadowed even the ache in her. He did it to apologize but as soon as he felt her skin under his lips, suddenly, he wanted more. More of her breasts, more of her skin against him, more Elena. Clenching his fists, he straightened up and watched her scrutinizingly.

Her face was flushed and her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she was biting her bottom lip. She was more beautiful to him than ever and his emotions threatened to overwhelm him once again. Shaking his head, to clear his thoughts, he slowly took a step back.

"I'll bring ice." His voice made her eyes pop open but he was already out of the room and she sank onto the bed, feeling weak and strange even to herself. It was like being under his spell when he was close and the thought scared her.

Running her fingers through her hair, she wondered how she had got herself into this trouble… but before she could do anything, Damon was back, holding a glass of ice cubes in his hand and a piece of black material in the other.

"What's that?' She asked suspiciously.

"One of my shirts, silly. It's made of the finest silk and you practically don't feel having it on. I thought you could wear it until the ache gets better."

She felt her eyes well up with emotion.

"Thank you, Damon…" She croaked out and Damon felt his legs carrying him closer to her.

"Here, hold this against your…" He trailed off, suddenly insecure about addressing her nipples. He was never shy to voice his desires in bed; in fact, he liked to ignite the passion with saucy dirty talking. What the hell was happening to him? Where was his so called self-confidence?

His momentary insecurity finally broke the tension and she offered him a coy smile.

"Thank you." She felt uncomfortable sharing this intimate moment with him. She didn't know what to say or how to behave in such a situation.

"I'll wait in the kitchen." Damon finally broke the silence, clearing his throat and turning on his heels. Elena watched him leave, not sure whether she should have felt relieved or disappointed over the fact he gave up so easily.

She reached into the glass to fish out an ice cube and putting it over her aching nipples, she caught herself glancing nervously at the door from time to time wondering what Damon was doing out there. The moment the ache subsided, she reached for his shirt impatiently and pulled it on. His scent surrounded her immediately and her nerves calmed a little at the exquisite smell.

It was just Damon in the kitchen, she scolded herself. He was her best friend and her boyfriend's brother. She knew him well. Yes, last night they'd got out of line a little but it was still her and him. Friends until death shall them apart.

She buttoned up his shirt and then tied the sleeves in the front before checking herself in the bathroom mirror again. The material hugged her chest like a second skin and the subtle shine of the silk made her boobs look bigger and the black colour complimented her eyes and skin tone. She looked different, she realized but she couldn't put a finger on the detail that changed within her.

While trying to tame her hair with a hairbrush, she considered putting on some make up but then she decided against it. She didn't want to give the wrong impression and message to Damon. It was bad enough that last night they had crossed the invisible line between friendship and something more.

With a loud sigh, she entered the kitchen only to find Damon sitting on the bar-stool behind the counter with his elbows resting on the marble top.

"Finally!" He sighed dramatically. "I was about to go in and see if you're still alive." He turned to her and the next moment the words seemed to disappear from his mind.

She stood there in his shirt with her nipples clearly defined through the thin material of the fabric. Apparently, she wasn't aware of the fact of how magnifying she looked, with her straight chocolate tresses cascading down on her shoulders, her slightly flushed cheeks and with her eyes looking anywhere but him. He felt himself getting hard again as he recalled the feeling of her soft skin underneath his lips from last night and this morning. She didn't have to know that he'd spent the dawn peppering her skin with his kisses, all over her back and shoulders, feasting on the beauty of her sleeping form next to him and that she'd purred in her sleep under his touches like a kitten.

She certainly didn't remember that she never left him in her sleep unconsciously; when he moved, she stirred in her sleep, following him, wrapping herself around him. Her supple thighs were warm against his body and her soft breath made his skin erupt in goosebumps.

He never quite liked being disturbed during his sleep; but Elena was different.

She didn't remember because she slept so hard like never before.

"Damon…" She sighed like she did in her sleep while dreaming and he suppressed a groan. They watched each other warily, with new eyes and with strange emotions. Until now they kept their insane attraction hidden underneath the pretext of their friendship. But last night she'd let him feel and see the glimpse of her true self; and she'd gotten a taste of his all consuming passion in return.

Just one look and she was drawn under his spell again. Elena found herself drowning in the blue pools of his eyes and her mouth became dry.

"Come on," he said, clearing his throat, shifting from his seat, "I'm taking you out for brunch."

"I thought we'd stay here."

"Is this your way asking me to cook for you?" He raised his brow playfully.

"I'm just not ready to face my friends yet."

"Who told you I'm taking you out in Mystic Falls?" He rolled his eyes before grabbing his keys from the chest of drawers in the hallway.

"Then where…?"

"It's a surprise." He wiggled his brow at her. "Live a little, Elena."

She considered his words, feeling as his whole light attitude and teasing words slowly started to make their way through the thick wall of her self defense.

"Okay." Her voice was weak and she felt more insecure than before.

TVD

"Son, Dad called to let you know that he's going to need Damon join him on his business trip." Christina's kind voice ripped Stefan out of his thoughts. He'd spent the morning in the library, making an attempt to read but he caught himself staring into space absentmindedly. His thoughts drifted back to Elena again. Something was up and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. There was something in her eyes, a strange determination and new-found strength, something he hadn't known had existed before; and he found the thought unsettling.

"Can I help you, Mom?' He asked with his lips automatically curling into a smile. Christina wore a pair of comfy cream coloured pants with a lavender blouse; her raven coloured hair which showed very little grey tresses at her temples, was curled into a casual bun. Her appearance was elegant and classy and Stefan sighed inwardly in a hope that one day, Elena would look similar.

"Actually, you can." She walked inside, followed by the maid, who carried a silver tray in her arms and after placing it on the coffee table, she left the room. "You didn't show up for breakfast."

She gestured towards the tray which was filled with everything he loved having for breakfast; eggs and bacon, toast and apple juice. His stomach grumbled in response and once again, he was glad having his mother around.

"Thanks…" He grinned at her, feeling like a little boy once again. "So why does Dad need me to play the messenger today?"

"He can't reach Damon. His phone is turned off and he hasn't replied to your father's e-mails yet, which is unlike him," she stated and Stefan could only nod. Damon was never the one who'd go somewhere without his phone and he checked his e-mails several times per day.

"Damon told me yesterday that he's going to crash at his apartment and planned on getting drunk. Maybe he's still asleep." He shrugged.

"And of course, you have nothing to do with that." Christina said quietly, making him feel guilty immediately. He devoured his breakfast instead while Christina observed him scrutinizingly.

"We need to talk, son." She stood up once he was finished and he looked up at her startled. "About Elena." Her moss green eyes bored into his with a force that forbade him to avert his gaze.

"What about her?" He blinked.

"You tell me, Stefan." She folded her arms over her chest, watching him expectantly.

"Everything's fine." He shrugged, trying to look as calm as possible.

"Don't lie to me!" She cried out, startling him. "I know there's something going on between the two of you; something that's definitely no good."

"I-" His lips started to form the same reassuring words he told himself this morning; but then, he recalled Elena's last night in his room. And the other nights, which all led to fruitless conversations and staying apart. He couldn't even remember the last time they had sex or any other intimate moment shared together. He recalled Katherine's words from weeks before, as she pointed out the depth of Damon's and Elena's friendship. His mother was right. Something definitely wasn't right between them for a long time now.

"I don't know what's going on, to be honest." He looked down at his fingers in his lap, defeated. "But I'm going to figure it out."

He needed to find something, anything that could give him a clue what was going on. Elena and he grew distant a long while ago and though he admitted it, he never was the perfect lover and the perfect man, there had to be something else, too. Something, what Elena didn't tell him yet.

He was going to find out and he was going to do it right now.

With this new determination, he jumped onto his feet, making his mother startle.

"What's wrong?" She stood up gracefully.

"I'm going to find out what's going on." He said before walking into his closet to change. "I'll be back in the afternoon."

"Very well, son." Christina said still a little surprised at the abrupt change of Stefan's attitude. One second she found him brooding and staring out of the window and the next moment he was swift and smiling again. "I'm going to meet Rose at 1:30."

"Okay." His voice came stifled as he was pulling on a black t-shirt.

"And can you please go to Damon's apartment and tell him about the business trip?"

"I will."

TVD

"Seriously? This is where you are taking me?" Elena frowned at the sign of the trashy looking bar with a couple of Harleys parking in the front.

"Hey, don't insult the place until you tasted their burgers!" He grinned at her and Elena secretly admired him for his patience with her; Stefan or any other man would have snapped at her hours before for her constant bitching.

A strong wave of remorse washed through her as she recalled all the things Damon did for her in the past one day and a half. He was funny and kept joking, even if she acted like a petulant child, staring out of the window while he was driving. His silly comments made her smile involuntarily and she hated to admit to herself, that Damon handled her mood swings wonderfully. It was like he could read her mind sometimes, or at least it seemed like it, because he always knew how to make her feel good; and he proved to her that he could entertain her even without any sexual undertone or comment.

"Sorry…" She mumbled, willing her features to relax as she followed Damon inside.

"Why are you sorry?"

"For presenting the constant bitch factor in your life." She said quietly and Damon stopped in his tracks.

"Elena, you are anything but a bitch."

"What am I then?" She felt her mouth twitch a little.

"You are not the worst company in the world." He stated smirking and once again, she felt the blood rush in her head and she wanted to punch him for being this cocky and smartass.

Elena glared at Damon and he smiled at her in response, with twinkling eyes and she felt her insides melt into a puddle again. Damn Damon and damn his beautiful eyes, she thought, but before she could react, the door of the bar opened and a tall woman, with caramel skin, pulled Damon into her tight embrace.

"No, it can't be!" She squealed happily and Elena flinched at her high pitched voice. "Damon Salvatore, my honey pie!"

Elena watched the woman grab Damon's head and place a sloppy kiss on his lips, frowning.

_Honey pie?_

How dare this woman call him that? Elena was confused and getting annoyed again as the kiss between Damon and the woman went on all too long. Too long for her taste. She averted her gaze, feeling like a third wheel.

"Bree, it's great to see you," Damon said after he finally entangled himself from her arms.

"You haven't changed a bit, sweetie." She replied and Elena tried not to roll her eyes at the next endearment.

Damon wrapped his arm around Elena's stiff shoulder, giving Bree a clear sign that whatever was between the two of them in the past, didn't apply for the present, especially, when Elena was around.

"Elena, this is Bree, an old friend." He turned to her only to see Elena sizing up Bree with a glare.

She took a step closer to Bree, holding her hand out.

"Hi, I'm Elena, Damon's not so old friend." She said pleasantly and Bree suppressed a chuckle.

"What a little firecracker have you found for yourself, honey!" She shook Elena's hand with a pleasant smile. "Come in and let's chat about this beautiful man while the cook prepares your breakfast."

Elena followed Bree in a stunned silence while Damon watched them with a smirk. It was a rare moment to see Elena getting speechless. All his worries left him and he was glad he chose to bring Elena here. Bree took Elena inside while he excused himself to the bathroom, to compose himself a little.

"How long have you known Damon?" Elena asked the older woman, with her elbows on the counter.

"Long enough to be sure that this is the only man who would break my heart, crush my soul and ruin all chances for happiness on the side of any other man if I let him." Bree replied with a grin, placing three tumblers in front of Elena and poured bourbon in them. "But I'm sure you already know that."

"I'm actually dating his…" She trailed off, offering a confused smile. "I'm not…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me." She raised her tumbler and clinking it to Elena's, she drank the liquid in one gulp. Elena looked around nervously and downed her shot too. "Just enjoy the ride, until it lasts."

"I rocked your world." Damon's voice made Elena jump on her seat and she felt immediately guilty for even listening to Bree's talk. The alcohol went straight to her head and the warmth spread in her veins. Damon took his seat next to her, reaching for the untouched glass, with a smirk.

"He's good in the sack, isn't he?" Bree winked at Elena conspiratorially, leaving her speechless and taken aback. In her world, filled with kids' drawings, cute stage performances at the end of the school year and parents' meetings, no one talked about taboo themes openly; people mostly pretended, that the sex didn't even exist in their lives. Her face was flushed at the sudden images pushing into her mind and it didn't help when she saw Bree pouring another round of bourbon in their glasses.

TVD

An hour later Stefan found himself standing in front of Elena's house, feeling guilty and ashamed. The house was an average sized and there was nothing outstanding on it; the only thing that made it special, was the fact that Elena lived there.

He used his key and was surprised to see it was unlocked. Walking inside, he found Katherine sitting in the kitchen, with her laptop opened in front of her, and sheets of papers covering the table.

"Hi," he said, making his presence known.

"Elena's not here," Katherine replied, taking a sip from her coffee, not bothering to look at him.

"I just need something from her room."

"I know." She responded indifferently, "you came here to snoop around and to find one or two skeletons in Elena's closet."

Suddenly, he was ashamed, rendered speechless and the silence made her look her up from the screen.

"Just kidding, bud." She grinned at him, "I hope you don't need me to see you to my sister's room."

TVD

"I want to play pool." Elena announced enthusiastically, after finishing her burger and another shot; it was tequila because as she said, she never had the opportunity to try the difference between the silver and gold tequila and after tasting both, she decided she loved the silver more.

"You should've been on the floor from that amount of liquor yet." Bree commented with a smirk.

"You look like a lightweight." Damon smirked at Elena, his eyes sweeping over her hungrily. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her acting carefree and reckless.

"I'm not even drunk!" She exclaimed. "My tolerance is like way up here!" Pointing to the ceiling, she jumped from her seat and joined a woman at the pool table.

Damon stayed at the bar, watching her as she took the cue stick and chatted happily. He was stunned to see her like this. She was always the one who needed to be pushed and challenged; she was too wrapped up in her little world of obligations and morals to actually enjoy her life.

"She did quite a number on you." Bree leaned forward with her elbows on the bar counter.

"She's dating my little bro." He said quietly, trying to look cool about it.

"Then what is she doing here with you?"

"We are friends." He replied curtly.

"Friends?" She laughed "You look anything but friends, honey!"

Craning his neck, he stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Look at you, the notorious womanizer, can't take his eyes off of his brother's girl!" She teased him but the annoyed glint in his eyes stopped her from further teasing. Her face grew serious and leaned closer. "I know you, Damon. You have a thing for this girl. And from the looks she's been giving you all morning, tells me that she feels the same, too."

"She's not mine."

"And why is it like that?"

He took a long swig from his beer, shrugging. His mind was getting clouded as he noticed Elena's tight ass straining her jeans as she leaned over the pool table, her black silk covered breasts touching the green fabric on the top. He gulped, feeling the familiar hunger rising within him once again. All he could think of was him standing behind her, being buried deep inside her warm wetness.

He was so used to these torturing mental images at that point, that he didn't even bother to register the begging of his rock hard shaft in his pants.

"Why are you not going after her?" Bree's voice ripped him out of his thoughts and for a second, he had trouble focusing on her words. "I don't think you'd have to fight that much for her affections. There's a chemistry between the two of you. It's so palpable and strong, that I feel like exploding from that frustration."

He found himself responding to Bree's inquisitive questions absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving Elena, especially when a couple of bulky guys joined the girls and the game started. Both guys wore leather jackets and black pants and they looked like the owners of those bikes parking outside. Jealousy and a possessive feeling started to boil inside him, watching Elena smile at one of them. He couldn't understand why was he suddenly feeling like he needed to break something.

"It's not important. She's with my brother and I can't be happier for being her friend." He smirked, effectively holding himself back from reacting too harshly. "And you of all women should know why I shouldn't go after her."

One of the guys offered the blue chalk to Elena so she could rub it against the tip of the cue. The guy looked at his friend winking. Damon gritted his teeth and his fingers curled around the bottle. He knew what they were doing. He knew the whole choreography all too well. Hell, he played this game of picking up a girl at a trashy bar too many times too; with girls who never mattered to him once he got what he wanted from them. He saw other men play this game too. He never cared. He never bothered.

But this was Elena those guys were starting to play with and she was too innocent to notice their sick game.

"You never looked at me like you do at her." There was a hint of envy in her tone.

"How do I look at her?" He asked with fake curiosity, observing Elena who scored again and high fived with the woman she was paired up with against those guys in the game. What the hell was wrong with him? All he could imagine was ripping throats out and hurting someone.

"Like she inspires you." She said cryptically.

"Come on, Bree, you know better than to kid me." He laughed out mirthlessly, trying to cover the stun he felt hearing her words, shifting in his seat. At the pool table, one of the guys placed the cue on the table and moved closer to Elena. She eyed the guy warily in response and her gaze flickered towards Damon in a silent plea.

"Oh boy, you are whipped!" Bree chuckled and all of a sudden, he couldn't take it anymore. Elena looked utterly uncomfortable as the guy towered over her, completely ignoring the fact that she tried to find a way to escape him. Pushing himself off the stool, Damon pulled out his wallet and threw a hundred bucks on the counter. He grabbed two bottles of beer and walked to Elena.

Elena pushed against the guy's chest insistently before Damon approached them.

"Damon," She exhaled in relief, "it took you long enough to bring the beers." Her voice was unnaturally chipper and the guy, who a moment before introduced himself as Lee, turned around, frowning.

"Are you ready to lose?" Damon flashed his signature smirk at Elena, ignoring the guy on purpose. "Excuse me, dude, you're in my way." He addressed the guy.

"And you are?" Lee asked him expectantly. The other guy turned his attention to them and Damon could smell the liquor oozing from them. Both of them stepped closer, sizing him up. Damon was never the one who'd turn down a good fight but there was something about these guys that made his skin crawl. They looked like trouble.

Damon stood there, gauging his chances and weighing his options.

"He's my boyfriend." Elena's voice was loud and clear and all Damon could do was gape at her. She used the moment of shock in her favor and sneaked around Lee and walked to him.

_Boyfriend?_ The word echoed deafeningly in his ears.

A part of his mind reminded him that she was just trying to save him from being beaten into a pulp. A part of him was well aware of why she said that word. But it didn't stop his hands from trembling and his heartbeat from racing. He'd never committed himself to anyone before. He was never called a boyfriend, he was never called anything serious, regarding women. He never missed it. He loved living his unattached life, he loved the feeling that he didn't depend on anyone; but now, in this moment, he'd give anything to make that word come true.

Standing there frozen, he barely registered that Elena took the bottles from him.

"Your boyfriend seems pretty lame," Lee countered with a laugh, reaching for Elena and she squeaked in horror.

Her yelp shook him to the core and Damon acted on instinct, stepping in front of Elena. Lee sized him up with a snicker and even Damon felt that his chances to make it out in one piece were slim but he didn't back down. He was going to fight for her.

What he didn't consider, was Elena's reaction who watched them with horror. She wasn't stupid. She knew Damon was going to do anything to protect her, even if it meant that he could end up in the hospital in return. She couldn't let that happen.

She didn't think. She just reacted.

Elena stepped in front of Damon and stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against his. He stood there frozen, his mind going blank and his body rigid. But it lasted only for a second before wrapping his arms around her waist.

He pulled Elena against his body swiftly and responded to her kiss with all he had. Her eyes widened in surprise and her first reaction was to push him away. Damon sensed her intention and his fingers sank into her hair and wrapped around the nape of her neck. He could feel her sweet breath against his lips and electric currents ran through his body in response. His lips were caressing hers softly, lost in the sensation of how soft and plump they felt to the touch. As seconds passed, he felt her relaxing and her hands sneaked up on his muscular arms and came up to encircle his neck.

Elena was glad that Damon was willing to play along; she was aware they had observers, who watched them unabashedly. She knew it was the right choice instead of letting Damon get into a fight with them. Those guys were anything but good news and neither of them needed to deal with cops if things turned out ugly.

His body had other plans though; his desire for Elena was so strong that he didn't care if it was just a stunt they pulled. Her heart rammed loudly against her ribcage and she moaned softly in between their chaste kissing before moving closer to him. Damon growled at the sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest and the next moment they both felt like fireworks were exploding when their tongues met halfway while the world stopped moving for a second.

It wasn't like anything she'd felt before. She could taste the beer on her tongue and his own as his tongue massaged hers with such expertise that made her head spin and her knees weaken. The liquid desire pumped through her heart and spread into her veins as she moaned into their kiss, swallowed by Damon's lips and she almost lost it when she felt the hardening evidence of his arousal against her belly.

A million thoughts and images rushed through her mind and all of them were filled with desire and lust, reaching an almost unbearable level. They kissed frantically, desperately, trying to pour every suppressed tension into this one stolen moment.

They didn't stop until breathing became an absolute necessity for both of them, followed by the cheerful applause of the patrons who watched them. Elena watched Damon with a dazzled look and he gave her the sweetest smile, his eyes blazing and being impossibly blue.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered and all she could do was nod. Damon grabbed her hand and they left the bar. As soon as the door closed behind their backs, Elena turned to him laughing.

"Did you see their faces?" She spun around with bright eyes.

"Did you?" He asked with a huge grin plastering over his face, watching her flushed cheeks in awe; she never looked more beautiful like in this moment. "You are lucky to have such a kind _boyfriend_, Lena…"

His fingers caressed her cheek softly and the laughter slowly died on their lips.

"Damon…" His name rolled off her tongue like a prayer and the next moment he silenced her with a toe curling kiss and passion exploded between them once again. Elena's head started to spin and she tried to remember all the reasons why she shouldn't be kissing Damon; but every reason exited her brain when his tongue sneaked into her mouth and tangled with hers. Her heart pumped faster as he backed her against the wall while he kissed her with a mind blowing expertise.

Damon groaned into the kiss when her pearly white teeth sank into his bottom lip and suddenly, he found his hands on her sides, playing with the silky hem of _his _shirt. He fisted the piece of fabric in between his fingers, trying to gain back his so called self control as the alluring scent of jasmine and the taste of Elena's lips elicited an insane response from his body.

His lips descended onto her neck, while she leaned against the wall breathing heavily. His fingers slid underneath the shirt she wore and the alarms went off screaming in her head.

"Damon… wait…" She whispered, trying to catch her breath and he almost growled with suppressed desire.

"Why?" His breath was hot against her skin and she felt the wetness pooling in her core. "Don't you want me?"

"Oh my…" She exhaled raggedly with a chuckle. "You really need to ask if I want you?"

Damon pulled her earlobe between his lips, nibbling at the soft flesh and her aching peaks hardened with the desire she felt.

"Why would we stop then?"

"I can't do this right now." Her hand rested on his forearm in a gentle gesture, finally making him look up at her. "I-I need to sort things out with Stefan." She stuttered.

"Elena, I just kissed the hell out of you and all you can talk about is Stefan?" He asked with furrowed brows, taking a step back from her.

"I'm sorry…" She took a calming breath and lifting her chin, she looked straight in his eyes. "Believe me, at this moment, I'd give anything to be free and do what I want but I can't and it kills me!" She cried out, as her body protested and begged for release.

Damon watched her for a long moment before pulling her close again and hugged her.

"I get it. And I adore you even more for it." He murmured into her hair.

"Aren't you angry with me?" She mumbled into his chest.

"Baby, how can I be angry with you for being loyal and honest?" He flashed his signature grin at her and after giving her a quick peck on her lips, he took Elena's hand and walked them to his car.

TVD

Stefan plopped down on Elena's bed, defeated.

"Already giving up?" Katherine's voice was sarcastic. He looked up only to see her leaning against the door frame with a smirk.

"I was just…" He trailed off, unable to lie. He was busted, he knew it. Katherine must have heard him as he methodically went through Elena's things, clothes and bags and found nothing. Everything was pure and innocent like her. He felt like a piece of crap once again, for jeopardizing Elena's trust.

"Looking through my sister's stuff to find something to prove your suspicions correct." She stated the obvious winking at him.

"How did you know?" He felt ashamed and vulnerable under her stare, blaming himself once again.

"Because I did the same with my last boyfriend when I suspected him of cheating on me." Her tone picked up his interest.

"And? Were you successful?"

"I was." She nodded confidently "And the bastard found himself on the street before he could blink."

Stefan stood up and made his way out of the room.

"I have to go."

"If I were you I'd look behind the picture hanging over the bed. She'd always hide her diary behind the pics on the wall when we were kids." She said with a cocky smile and left the room.

TVD

**Be good and review. You know, reviews = love**


	11. Chapter 11

**Discl: The usual. **

**This chapter is betad by the lovely Mich who's also a great friend. **

CHAPTER 11

Standing motionless in the crowded room, Elena let her thoughts wander.

After she returned home, she found Katherine lounging in her living room, sporting a cocky smile on her face. Elena couldn't deal with her sister at that moment, not after the weekend she'd spent with Damon.

She was glad when Caroline called her to meet at Rose's in the afternoon. Rose's was the most elegant dress salon in town; she was a renowned fashion designer throughout the country. Besides that, the women who could afford it usually'd met at the place behind her shop.

She had been a widow for ten years now; she'd inherited some money from her husband and after investing wisely, she soon became one of the richest single women in the country. There were some rumours about her having a secret affair with an attached man but she never gave away anything, so the rumors remained unconfirmed and they slowly died until no one spoke about her private life anymore.

Rose's salon was a phenomenon amongst her kind, stuffed with everything women loved and more; it was their common secret when they left their respective halves or parents at home thinking that they were doing nothing else, just trying on the dresses and drinking champagne. In reality, the chosen ones who'd got the invitation to join the club, shared their secrets and solved the problems of the town like they were the secret council of Mystic Falls. Carol Lockwood was the head of their meetings and the members of the club knew that, in fact, it was her who ruled town and not her husband, the major.

After Christina's intervenion, Elena could join the club too. Caroline had been a member for a long time now because of her relationship with Tyler Lockwood and she squealed with happiness when she met Elena at Rose's. Not too many women were allowed to join the meetings, only those who'd led respective lives and felt responsible for the town.

Once Elena entered the club that afternoon, she still felt dizzy about the incredible hours she'd experienced with Damon. He kissed her again when they returned to his apartment but then his cell phone buzzed and they were ripped out of their haze; it felt like a hard landing on her ass when the realization hit her.

She kissed Damon.

And he kissed her back. No reservations, no moral debates, nothing. She just followed her instincts and for once in her life, she really let loose. And her first step led her into Damon's arms.

She was terrified, to say at least. She was shocked.

When Caroline dragged her to Rose's, because, according to her, Elena needed a new dress for her upcoming birthday party, she followed her bubbly friend in silence. They took the back entrance of Rose's place and Elena wasn't surprised to see Carol and Christina leaning over the big white table in the middle of the room. There were several sheets of paper spread in front of them, and from the frowns they both sported, one could assume that they were discussing something important. Looking around, Elena spotted some of the other women who were chatting over their coffee while the others watched Carol impatiently, waiting for her to finally speak up.

The place was light and warm, with the colonial style interior, elegant rose patterned fabrics and fine china. The sweet scent of the exotic flowers mixed with the mouthwatering smell of chocolate cake that reminded Elena of the fact that she was hungry. She went to the buffet table and helped herself to a couple of sandwiches, while listening to the chat of the other women in the room, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Elena, Caroline said you are in desperate need of a birthday dress." Rose approached her with a broad smile.

"Caroline's exaggerating." Elena grinned.

"Come with me and let's get over with the worst." She winked because she knew that Elena hated shopping for long hours. "I've selected some lovely items for you and you can try some of them on. We need to hurry up because Carol wants to discuss the new plan of the town council regarding the restoration of some old stuff." She said with a reassuring smile and Elena followed her with a smile which died the second her gaze met Christina's. Guilt shot through her veins like acid and she couldn't hold the older woman's gaze for long.

"Elena, here!" Caroline yelled at her from the changing room and Elena followed her friend obediently.

Elena tried on the dresses, one after another without showing the smallest kind of interest in the fabrics, colours or cuts. Caroline became more and more excited with every new article and she helped Elena to dress and then'd open the door in a theatrical manner for the others to see.

"Elena must have the most beautiful dress for her night!" She announced and Elena couldn't help rolling her eyes. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she liked the high collared, peach coloured blouse and the black pencil skirt that hung beneath her knees; she looked decent and sophisticated.

"Don't do this, Care, it's just a birthday party… it's not like my wedding." She said the last words a little bit too loud, she realized at the sight of the rising interest in the eyes, even Carol raised her head from her papers.

"Oh, Elena, it's a good news," She smiled at her; "Stefan and you finally set the date? Christina didn't say a word about it."

Elena's gaze met Christina's over the table then averted her eyes, flushed.

"We…" She trailed off, helplessly.

"I think she would look better with a bit more daring cleavage," Jessica, Rose's assistant piped up in the silence, unaware of the uncomfortable situation Elena was in. She was facing the racks, with her back to the room. "She has a nice figure and she needs to show it; but right now she looks like it's any other day and it's getting a bit boring. I'd give her brighter colours and I'd let her show definitely more skin. She's twenty five not sixty." She said to everyone's surprise and Caroline nodded.

"She's right, Elena needs a change," Caroline spoke up and pushed Elena back into the changing room. "Here, try the blue one."

Elena changed into the midnight blue knee length silk dress with downcast eyes and looked at herself in the mirror, sighing with relief. Jessica was right, the lower cleavage did wonders for her appearance while the material accentuated her curves; it was elegant and classy yet she didn't feel like a spinster wearing it. This was the right dress, the one. Smiling, she turned to open the door when she saw it; the hickey right above the hem of the dress, glaring at her accusingly.

"Elena, you're so quiet in there. Do you like the dress?" Caroline's voice sounded impatient from the other side of the door.

"I-" Her mouth was suddenly dry, the dark spot on her skin burning her like a scarlet letter. "It doesn't fit." She croaked.

"Bullshit," Caroline exclaimed and before Elena could react, she grabbed her hand and pulled Elena with her. A collective sigh welcomed her as she stood there feeling like she would faint at any second. Her hand flew to her chest to cover the mark. "Hey, don't cover yourself! We need to see the whole dress!"

"I can't." She whispered and concern crossed Caroline's face as she stepped closer.

"What's the problem? Is there something wrong with the material?" She asked and pushed Elena's hand away gently and after gazing at her friend's skin for a long second, her lips pulled into a smile. "Oh my… Elena, you naughty girl!"

Her high pitched voice made the women look in their direction again.

"What's wrong, Caroline?" Carol's voice showed interest and Elena wished she could vanish from the surface of the earth at that moment.

"Stefan was a bad boy and he marked our dear Elena's skin," Caroline said with a chuckle and she winked at Elena. The women smiled at her happily; apparently, Stefan being carried away with passion was just another great addition to the picture of perfection in their eyes.

"Stefan did this?" Christina joined the conversation with a raised brow and Elena blanched.

"Yes, we've got a little carried away last night…" She whispered before realizing she made a huge mistake. Christina watched her with an empty stare; they both knew Elena wasn't with Stefan over the weekend.

"I see." She said finally and Elena's stomach sank at her betrayed look. "Carol, would you like to share the details of this new plan?"

Elena was stunned at the abrupt change of the topic though she was glad that no one seemed to realize that something wasn't right.

"Oh yes, the plan. The council, ladies, thinks that the restoration of the old Wickery Bridge is more important than the renovation of the high school's auditorium. I believe we all know the significance of that place and our children's future depends on how we see our beloved school building. We need to talk to our husbands and make them see the importance of this case…" She continued talking while Elena changed from her dress back to the clothes she originally had on.

"You need to spill the details," Caroline whispered conspirationally. "And the dress is perfect."

"But the hickey…" She whispered weakly.

"It will fade by Friday."

Devastated, Elena quickly changed back from the dress then went to see Carol.

"I'm looking for Christina." She said timidly.

"She left just a minute ago, dear." Mrs. Lockwood regarded her with warm smile, completely oblivious to Elena's inner struggle.

Elena took a deep breath and left the place in a hurry only to see Christina who was about to get in her car.

"Christina!" She yelled at the older women to make her stop. "Wait for me please!"

Christina stood there like a statue, holding onto the opened door of the car reluctantly.

"Is there anything you want to discuss with me?"

"Don't be like this, please…" She whispered with a pleading look.

"Like what?" Christina closed the door with a loud thud. "I just learned that the woman who is supposed to marry my son, the same woman who I let into my house and treated her like she was my own child and covered her questionable friendship with my other son so he would come home more frequently because of her…" She took a deep breath and tears filled her green eyes before making a dismissive move with her hand. "Sorry if I'm being a bit dramatic but it hurts to realize that the very same woman has the morals of street trash!"

"Please…" Elena choked on her tears stretching her hand out to touch Christina but she took a step back.

"Don't." She smoothed her pale green jacket. "I don't want to hear anything. I don't need to know if it's just a fling or if you have been cheating on my son for a long time now. I don't want to know the guy's broke my trust, Elena, and I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you for that."

"Are you going to tell Stefan?"

"No. It's not my place to tell him." She gazed at Elena's conflicted features and sighed. "Do you even love my son?"

"I do." She said quietly not sure which one of the brothers was Christina referring to.

"Look, I can see that you haven't been yourself for quite a long time. I understand that something must have caused your… adultery." She said after clearing her throat and Elena's shoulders slumped under the weight of the word.

"It wasn't like that…" Elena sobbed wiping at her nose with the back of her hand.

"I don't care. All I care about is my son." She regarded Elena with another cold stare. "I'm not going to cancel your birthday party because I don't need a scandal where my family's name is concerned. You will come to the party and you will play your part. But right after the party I want you to talk to Stefan and come clear with him."

"You want me to break up with him?"

"No. I want you to be honest with yourself and consider the reasons why'd you felt the need to find comfort in some random guy's arms."

"It wasn't just a random guy." Elena whispered causing Christina's head snap back into her direction.

"What did you just say?"

"It wasn't someone I've met at a bar." She said, feeling braver.

"Then who?"

"Someone who's very close to me…" Their gazes locked and Christina's breath hitched in realization.

"Tell me it's not…" Obviously, she struggled to put two words together.

"It is." She mumbled shakily.

"Since when?"

"Last night." She said with downcast eyes. "I'm not a slut, Christina. I never jeopardized Stefan's trust. I was faithful to him…" She trailed off.

"You swear there wasn't anything going on between the two of you before?" For some reason, Christina looked like she would break any second.

Elena shook her head waiting for her response but the only thing she got was silence.

Christina turned away to open the door of the car once again but before she could do it, Elena pulled her into a hug, holding at her tightly for a second.

"I never meant to hurt you." She whispered into Christina's shoulder, before letting her go.

TVD

On her way back home, she felt the urge to call Damon. Her fingers hovered over the speed dial button but every time she almost pressed the button, something stopped her. What should she say to him, anyway? About Christina? Or about how guilty she, Elena, felt?

She had to pull over the car as the tears blurred her visions and for a second, she let herself go, sobbing loudly, against the steering wheel. Christina's words echoed in her mind with painful intensity and she felt bile rising in her throat. For a second she considered to leaving town and never coming back. To forget everything and leave everyone behind.

But as much as she hated herself at that moment, yet she couldn't bring herself to regret the weekend she'd spent with Damon.

Later that evening she got a text message from him.

'_Met Steffie today; he's weird. Mom isn't talking to anyone. Care to fill in the details?'_

She felt fresh tears pushing into her eyes.

'_Don't know anything about Stefan. Christina found out.' _

She didn't need to explain in details, she knew Damon would understand.

For endless minutes, she waited for his response, itching to call him, to hear his voice so he could tell her it was going to be alright… But the words never came and she felt lonely and abandoned more than before.

Finally, after what felt like a small eternity, her cell buzzed and lit up.

_Going on a business trip with Giuseppe. Will try to be back for your birthday party. Xoxo, Damon.'_

Her heart skipped a beat at the message. Damon always let her know about his business trips and this text didn't sound different, mind the first part of it. Her stomach was immediately tied in knots and for some reason she couldn't help connecting Christina's look with Stefan's odd behaviour. What could he possibly say to Damon? Should she ask Stefan about it?

Elena's mind raced a thousand miles per second, trying to find a solution… a friend. She needed to talk to someone and she needed it soon otherwise she'd combust with anxiety she felt at the moment.

After taking a much needed shower, she headed into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Opening the fridge, she tried to decide what she should eat when Katherine's footsteps interrupted her.

"I'm hungry." Katherine announced in her usual indifferent tone and Elena straightened her spine as if she had been stung by a bee.

"Don't make me introduce you to the fridge, sister." She said in a sarcastic tone, earning a chuckle from Katherine. Elena pulled out the tomato sauce from the fridge and filled a pot with water when she finally decided to go for a good portion of pasta with tomato sauce.

When she got no response from Katherine, she glanced towards her only to see her sketching into her sketchbook nonchalantly, sitting at the counter on a barstool, a mug of coffee and a plate of cookies in front of her. She caught Elena's stare and smirked.

"You want to talk?"

"No."

"I thought you could use a friend."

"What could we possibly talk about?" She said bitterly as she put the pasta into the boiling water, before looking for the salt.

"Guys, sex… we could compare our experiences with the Salvatore brothers…" Katherine said with mirth and Elena's heart skipped a beat in panic at her use of the plural. How could Katherine know…?

"I don't have anything to share with you." She turned on the stove and started to stir the tomato sauce, showing her back to Katherine.

"Oh, don't be such a prude, sis! I just want to know if Stefan can deliver the big O for my little sister! It's not like we didn't share our secrets before!" Elena flushed at the words and shot a glare at Katherine,

"No, Katherine, I shared my secrets with Jeremy while on the contrary, you shared my secrets with everyone." She bit out, immediately missing their younger brother who was a successful painter and therefore went away on promotional tours and exhibitions frequently. Elena couldn't recall the last time they talked and her heart sank at the fact that she neglected her beloved brother for the past two years.

"Speaking of…" Katherine flashed a secretive smile at her, "Stefan was here and looking for something important."

"What?" Elena looked at her dumbfounded.

"You heard me." Katherine shrugged innocently. "He came here and went through your things in the afternoon. I advised him to read your diary so maybe he could find what he was looking for."

"You wouldn't." Elena whispered, hurt written all over her face.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"You treat me like trash. So I decided to live up to your expectations."

The wooden spoon fell from Elena's hand and hit the floor but she didn't bend down to retrieve it. She left the kitchen rushing into her room and prying the door open, she looked around, her eyes searching for evidence that Katherine's words were true. Everything was in the place where she left them before. She pushed the wall picture a little and with a thumping heart, she pulled out her diary from its hiding place. Slouching onto her bed, she felt relieved to see that the diary was still there. Opening the book, she let the pages brush her fingertips as she scrolled through the sheets, wondering whether Stefan would betray her trust like she betrayed his.

TVD

The next week came and went in a blur. Stefan came to see her twice during the week but they never had a chance to speak in private because either Katherine or Caroline were always present during their conversations. Elena watched him like a hawk to find something that would confirm Katherine's words; but Stefan was his usual self, kind and caring. And for once, Elena was glad that he didn't ask any questions.

The only thing she found a bit odd that Stefan didn't patronize her like he used to do. Elena felt his gaze on her several times but whenever she looked up to meet his eyes, Stefan just smiled and continued to talk about her birthday party which was going to be held at the Salvatore mansion. Caroline was sparkling with ideas and if it was up to her, she'd set up fireworks and plant exotic trees in the Salvatore backyard, and it took a long, patient conversation with her until she understood that Elena was going to be completely fine with an average, elegant dinner and decent music.

She spent the nights tossing back and forth in her bed, Christina's words replaying in her mind every other second.

TVD

Friday night came and Elena found herself standing in front of Stefan's full length mirror in her midnight blue dress, fumbling with the zipper on her back. Her hair was loose and fell in soft curls on her shoulders, and she wore a light make up.

"Let me." A soft voice interrupted her and she looked up startled, only to meet the strikingly blue orbs in the mirror.

"Damon…" She whispered, stunned before collecting herself. "You never called."

His brows shot up in surprise.

"I was in meetings until late at nights. I left you several messages on your phone but you never answered."

His fingers skimmed across the soft skin of her shoulder before finding the zipper on her lower back.

"I didn't get any of them." She murmured, completely lost in the intimacy of the moment.

Damon watched her with blazing eyes in the mirror before pulling out a small box from his pocket.

"I've got you something."

"Damon…"

"I know I promised not to buy you anything…" He leaned closer and her breathing picked up in response, "but I couldn't resist this one." Opening the lid of the tiny box, he revealed a perfectly shaped nautilus shell pendant with platinum cap. Elena touched the mother of pearl coloured pendant with reverie.

"It's beautiful, Damon." She said and brought her eyes to him again.

He pulled out the pendant from its box and she pushed her hair out of his way, letting him fasten the silver chain around her neck. She shivered when his hot breath hit her skin and all she wanted was to kiss him again.

"How I can thank you for this?" She pretended to watch the pendant as it shimmered in the light but failed miserably. She couldn't not look at Damon anymore. The last weekend changed everything between them and she wasn't strong enough to pretend that it didn't matter.

"Meet me at my workshop after the party." He whispered, letting his lips touch her earlobe eliciting a low moan from her.

"I don't know if I can…"

"Please… I need to talk to you… please…" His fingers caressed her hand, letting their fingers entwine for a second. Elena closed her eyes, feeling her resolve to stay away from Damon weaken but before she could give her answer, a bright voice interrupted them.

"Elena, everyone's waiting for you!" Caroline's voice came from the hall and they tore apart instantly. Damon stepped out of her way but before she could leave the room, he brought her hand to his lips, placing a hot kiss on her palm.

"Meet me there after midnight." He said before letting her go.

Elena took a shaky breath and left the room, finding Caroline and Stefan waiting for her.

"Come, my love, the guests are waiting for us." Stefan linked his arm with hers and she followed him. She was glad for Caroline's chatting filling the silence so she could think about Damon's words.

The guests were already waiting for her and raised their champagne at her entering the room.

"Happy birthday, daughter," Christina was the first to come and hug her and Elena's heart soared at her kind words. She returned the hug then she watched Christina with scrutiny, trying to figure out if the older woman was mad at her or not. But Christina's smile was genuine and her eyes twinkled with happiness.

Elena felt relieved when Giuseppe kissed her hand with the southern charm gesture. She didn't even know him, she realized; he always kept his distance and was practically a foreigner in his own house. He should have retired years before but he loved his work too much and Christina encouraged him to do what he loved the most.

The dinner was served and Elena found herself smiling and talking to people and after the second glass of champagne, she could finally relax a bit once she realized that Damon joined the dinner but remained distant and never once laid his eyes on her.

On the other hand, Stefan looked ultimately joyful during the dinner; he emptied his glass for a toast in one gulp and after the second course, Elena noticed that his glass was refilled every now and then which was something unusual. Stefan used to be in control and never got carried away with alcohol consummation; apparently, this night was the only exception.

"Elena, it's time to open your presents." Stefan announced a bit too loudly, giving her a drunk smirk.

Looking around, she found people watching her expectantly, waiting for her to open the wrapped boxes that were organized into a neat pile on the coffee table. They moved into the living room and the athmosphere was relaxed; people were dancing and drinking while Elena pretended to enjoy the night but her eyes were on the wall clock every now often.

She moved to the presents and opening them, she thanked to everyone for their kindness, putting the cards aside so later she could write a 'thank you' cards for their presents. When there was no parcel left unopened, Stefan placed a blue satin covered box in front of her.

"It's from our family, daughter." Christina encouraged her with a smile as she sat down next to her. Elena was on the verge of tears at the endearment that made her heart ache.

Elena reached out to open the box and when she finally did it, a collective gasp of delight left their guests mouths at the sight of the small pieces of diamonds set in a platinum collar.

"Don't you like it?" Stefan asked softly and she snapped out of her numbness.

"It's beautiful, thank you." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Let me," Stefan said happily, apparently oblivious to the lack of her enthusiasm. "I just need to remove this cheap stuff from your neck-"

"No!" Her shriek made Christina jump and Stefan looked at her startled. She flashed at them another fake smile and lifting her hand, she unclasped the delicate chain from her neck. "I can do it." For some reason, she didn't want Stefan to touch Damon's gift. Opening her clutch, she let the beautiful pendant slide inside, suppressing a grieving sigh.

She sat there motionless while letting Stefan put the collar around her neck, unable to feel any joy from the action; the massive piece of jewel felt heavy and strange against her skin. She let Stefan kiss her lips and she clinked her glass to his and somehow, she managed to smile and talk all evening long, until the dinner guests slowly filed out. Christina and Giuseppe left after hugging her and saying their good nights but not before the older woman gave her a meaningful look.

"Are you staying?' Stefan asked in a hopeful tone and though it broke her heart, she shook her head slowly.

"I should head back home. Katherine is waiting for me." She murmured with downcast eyes waiting for his protest. The silence made her look up and her heart sank at the brooding features of his.

"Elena, we need to talk."

"Yes, we need." She agreed quietly and Stefan's brows shot up in surprise.

"So you feel it too."

"Feel what?" She traced an invisible line with her fingertips along the dining table.

"We are growing apart." His words echoed in the empty hall loudly. "Something's going on with you and I feel like I'm clutching a handful of sand in my fist, feeling the dust escaping through the small gaps between my fingers…" He trailed off and reached out to touch her face. "What happened to us?"

"I don't know," Elena whispered with tears pushing into her eyes. "I don't know when it stopped to be an 'us'. I just don't know what's happening to me…"

"Is this has anything to do with the fact that I asked you to make your decision to marry me?" His tone was full of concern and Elena took a deep breath, finally looking in his eyes.

"Stefan, I-" It was now or never. "Yes. It's about marrying you. I don't know if I'm ready yet. So many things are happening in my life and with Katherine being back, I'm so…" _Consumed. _Crystal blue eyes popped into her mind and she felt the heat crawling up on her face. "I'm sorry, Stefan, I think a need a little bit more time to make this decision."

"You don't want to marry me." He said defeated.

"It's not about marrying or not marrying you," She said exasperated "It's the institution of marriage that scares me. It's a huge step and I don't want to rush into it."

"Rush?" He raised his head. "We have been engaged for two years now! How much time do you need?"

She felt her resolve weaken but with a newfound strength, she straightened her shoulders.

"Stefan, I need a break. I need to clear my head and decide what I want out of my life. Trust me, it's not about you. I love you and I love your parents, this house and I love your priorities and your view on this world and future."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is me." She was desperate to make him understand how she felt though she saw his walls coming up. "I don't know what I want and I need to figure it out on my own." She felt like taking a fresh gulp of air as she finally said it.

"Are you breaking up with me?" He looked like his world came crushing down.

"I'm just asking for a little pause. I need to think about us alone." She said quietly and they gazed into each other's eyes for minutes. "I can give back the necklace…" She offered and he shook his head resolutely.

"It's a gift from my whole family, not just from me. I want you to keep it." He moved closer to hug her.

"Elena!" Katherine's voice interrupted them. "My ass is freezing off out here!"

"I'm coming!" For the first time in weeks she was glad to have Katherine around as she took a step back and Stefan's arms fell to his sides. "I need to go now." She smiled apologetically.

"Sleep well." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "I love you."

"Good night, Stefan." She whispered, swallowing back her tears before grabbing her clutch and she left.

She let them fall only when she was finally sitting in her car and Katherine drove in silence.

"I don't get you, sis." She broke the silence once they were at home and continued when Elena refused to elaborate. "You can have anything you dreamed about. You should be happy."

"What do you know about me?" Elena bit out and turned around to leave.

"I know all about you from the day you were born as a matter of fact." Katherine gave her a side glance. "I watched you during the dinner tonight and I swear you looked like you wanted to vomit every other second. And when you didn't let Stefan touch your necklace…" She gave her a suspicious look before turning back to the street, "I got curious… who gave that shell pendant to you? I never saw it on you before."

"Kat, I really don't want to talk about it…" She sighed. "I'm tired and believe me, the last thing I want is a therapy session with you." She saw the hurt flash over Katherine's features. "Look, I appreciate your efforts but believe me, you can't help me."

"Maybe we should talk like sisters again." Katherine said quietly.

"Maybe. But not tonight. I need a shower and a good sleep."

She didn't wait for Katherine's response as she left her behind. Once inside her bedroom, she shred out of her dress and unclasping the expensive collar she placed it on the chest of drawers and after a second, she pulled her engagement ring from her finger too. Her hand felt empty without the ring; she'd worn it for two years now but at the same time, a strange relief started to spread calmness inside her. Recalling the day when Stefan put the ring on her finger, she remembered the joy she felt back then and she wondered where that Elena was gone. Why couldn't she feel that happiness with Stefan anymore?

Walking into the bathroom, she hopped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the memories of the evening, about Christina and Stefan… and Damon…

"Oh, shit!" She yelped and turned the faucet off. She'd forgotten to meet Damon at the workshop.

She dried herself hastily and scurried out of the bathroom. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and a curse left her mouth once again when she saw it was half past midnight and moving closer to her bed, she accidentally kicked her toe into the edge of the bed.

"Ouch!" She cried out and the towel fell from her body as she fell onto the sheets.

"Cute." A velvety voice interrupted her and she looked up startled, only to see Damon sitting on the windowsill.

"Damon!" She sighed and covered herself hastily but his burning stare told her that he already saw the goods.

"You never came." He stated quietly and his features grew sad and disappointed.

"I was busy." She gulped nervously, unable to move as he stood up and walked to her.

"I see." He touched the diamond necklace and his eyes widened in surprise to see her ring there too.

"It wasn't like that…" Her cheeks burned.

"Like what, Elena?" His steps came to a halt in front of her; he stood between her legs and her breath hitched at his proximity. He was all in black which contrasted with his pale skin, making his impossibly blue eyes more prominent; the heat radiated from his body into hers and she felt her insides melt at the sweet smell of his skin.

"I talked to Stefan…"

"Wonderful." He commented impassively as his fingers skimmed along her cheekbone. Elena leaned into his touch and she felt the anxiety of the whole week vanish.

"We came to an agreement to pause things between us." She whispered before he bent down, making her lean back, supporting herself on her arms and she felt the towel loosen around her. The air crackled with electricity around them as he put one of his knees on the bed.

"I'm glad. So it makes you a free woman." He whispered, hovering over her, the muscles in his arms straining as he moved closer until their chests touched.

"Damon, we need to talk…" She tried to reason with him, fighting the urge that sent heat into her very core, making the tension almost unbearable.

"Later." His eyes bored into hers with an undeniable urgency before tipping his head down and their lips touched.

Elena was taken aback by the heat intensity of the passion as he placed several brief, chaste kisses on her lips never demanding more; it left her aching with need and soon she needed more. Lifting her hand, she grabbed the nape of his head, pulling him closer. He lost his balance and fell onto her, eliciting a giggle from both of them.

"We really need to talk… your mother knows…" She said prying her lips from his, gasping for air.

"I talked to her and she approves us." He said quickly before capturing her lips in another kiss, while his fingers sneaked around one of her thighs, wrapping her leg around his hipbone. She yelped into his mouth with surprise as her heated core met the hard bulge in his pants.

He didn't waste his time and his tongue slipped into the wet cavern of her mouth, both of them moaning as they tongues met.

"You taste sweeter every time I kiss you…" He confessed as his lips moved to her earlobe, placing a tiny kiss on her sensitive skin, making her shiver under him. "All week it was the image of you that kept me going…"

"Damon." She arched her back as he moved his hands around her ass, lifting and pressing her against his body once more.

"I want you, Elena…" He said while kissing his way down to her collarbone. "I don't know if I can wait any longer…"

She let her hands wander over his shoulders and arms, as he traced his fingers gently across the delicate skin of her thighs, before teasingly brushing a finger against her slit and she shivered in response.

"You are so wet…" He took in a shuddering breath "Tell me you want this…"

"I don't know what I want…" She moaned though her legs moved more apart on their own volition, giving him a better access.

"I need to convince you then…" His fingers went into her hair and holding her in place he pressed a firm kiss on her lips before descending to her neck like he did seconds before. This time he didn't stop though, and made his way down to her collarbone and deeper until her reached the round perfection of her breasts.

He waited for a second to let her decide if she pushed him away or not; but when he looked up he discovered she was watching him with half lidded eyes, panting. And then it dawned on him; her mind was trying to deny what was happening, but she couldn't control the reactions of her body towards him.

This was his chance, maybe the only chance to prove himself to her.

"Did I tell you how much you affected me when we first met?" He whispered over her skin.

"Several times…" She gasped as her skin broke out in gooseflesh.

"Did I mention the fact that I walked with a constant hard on like a sixteen years old teenager for weeks after our first meeting?" His tongue made its lazy path over her breast avoiding the tip that ached the most for his soothing touch. "How I imagined it was you every time when I had another faceless dull girl in my bed?"

She didn't respond, she couldn't. Her head was spinning as she tried to focus on his words. Her fingers seemed to have their own will as they slowly moved to the buttons of his shirt.

"You never thought about how jealous I felt every time you kissed Stefan in my presence?" He murmured against her skin as his fingers teased her clit with maddeningly slow circles.

"It wasn't on purpose…" She wheezed, giving his shirt a tug, pushing the fabric out of her way so she could finally place her palms over his chest, eliciting a hiss from Damon.

"Liar…" He bit down onto her nipple then soothing the bite with his tongue and removed his finger from her clit, punishing her. "I bet you get off on teasing me…"

"Damon…" She grabbed his hand in the middle of his motion.

"Yes sweetie?" He lifted his head at the neediness of her voice.

"Shut up." She pulled him into a passionate kiss and he groaned into her mouth when their tongues met again.

He didn't waste time with something as exhausting as thinking. He sensed her desperation as her fingers fumbled with the zipper on his pants. It was too good, too sweet, like a dream coming true as her hips jerked under his skilled teasing.

"Elena, look at me." He said suddenly making her movements halt.

"What?" Her eyes were scared and wide like saucers.

"Why now?" Their eyes locked and assessing her features, he saw strong determination on her flushed face. Her lips were swollen from his kisses and her chest was rising and heaving rapidly; she was the most gorgeous woman in his life.

"I want you. Isn't it enough?" She said quietly and the passion slowly died in her eyes.

"I want to know why all of a sudden. It's not a crime." He pulled back.

"Get off of me!" She cried out and sat up.

"No, until you tell me what's going on." He said firmly, holding her in place effectively.

"I want you!" She cried out. "Isn't it enough?"

"No, it isn't. I waited two years for this night to happen, Elena." He murmured, his blazing eyes never leaving her. "It hurt every time when you spent your nights with him. It drove me crazy knowing that someone else possessed your body and soul… every time you slept with him, something died in me…" He swallowed at the sight of tears in her eyes. "So forgive me if I want to know what caused the sudden change…"

"You waited two years for this to happen…?" She whispered as she looked at him with wondering eyes and reached out to caress his face.

"This is all you heard from my speech?" He let his lips curl into a tight smile.

"No, I heard everything you said," She admitted with a breathless chuckle, "but I always thought you were only toying with me… I'd have never guessed that you actually meant it."

"Well, you know it now." He pressed a kiss on her lips. "Now are you going to answer me?"

"What was the question?" She asked, suddenly feeling coy.

"Don't test my patience Elena," He growled against her skin, as he felt his hardness straining against his zipper.

"It happened to be your mother who said something that opened my eyes."

"You want to talk about my mother in this situation?" He groaned, giving her ass a little slap.

"You asked…" She let her fingers wander over his skin and once again, they found the zipper, this time, pulling it down effectively.

"What did she say?" He asked through gritted teeth as his shaft finally sprang free.

"She made me see who I am."

"You are sweet and loyal. Everyone knows that." He gazed into her eyes with so many emotions it made her inside tingle.

"Exactly. I don't do anything without a purpose. The fact I let go with you, it was a sign that my body and soul wasn't in the right place. Things haven't been working with Stefan for a long time now. I just never realized because I always had you by my side."

"What you are trying to say is…"

"Is that you made these past two years bearable for me Damon." She traced the outline of his lips with her fingertip. "And because you were there for me _every time _I needed you…" She took a deep breath and panicked for a second before speaking up again "I decided that I want to take a chance with you."

"Sort of a test drive?" He said teasingly though there was an edge in his voice.

"More like a choice that could leave me burned and shaken if things don't work out in our favor."

He kissed her deeply in response and their hands roamed each other's bodies with newfound urgency, pushing every piece of fabric out of their way, kissing frantically until both of them lay there naked and panting.

"Condom…" He whispered.

"Pills." She assured him with a breathy smile and this was all he needed to know.

Damon gazed into her eyes when he slowly pushed himself inside her tight and wet body; it felt like he was looking deep inside her soul, as he drowned in the chocolate pools which anchored him to the reality.

He started to whisper into her ear as they moved slowly in the rhythm of love, promising her that next time he would savour the moment and taste every inch of her body. She wrapped her legs against him tightly in response as her body adjusted to his size, and her mind turned to mush as she let the desire explode in her, spasming and trembling around him.

She pulled him with her into the explosion where he let everything go, his identity, his dreams, his name… drifting into the place where nothing existed but Damon and Elena, a pair of forbidden lovers.

"People are going to hate us." He whispered while his fingers caressed her hair absentmindedly after he pulled the sheets over their cooling bodies.

"I'm going to fight for us." She mumbled into his chest and his heart skipped a beat when he felt her smile against his skin.

"Yeah, _we _are going to fight for us." He murmured before letting his eyes shut, feeling truly happy for the first time in years.

**So, they are together. I can end the story here or I can continue if you want me to. It depends on your reviews, girls. All you have to do is to press the button below and make me happy. No flaming please. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

This chapter is betad by the awesome mouse555 and pre-read by scarlett2112 which is I'm eternally grateful for.

CHAPTER12

"What does the free fall feel like?  
Asks the boy with a spark in his eye  
Know why the nightingale sings?  
Is the answer to everything."

The morning came with the harsh light of realization and found Elena sitting on the window bench, with her arms around her knees. She watched Damon's sleeping form with wild, haunted eyes. Her insides were quivering under the weight of her decision and taking a glance outside the window, she dreaded stepping out into the real world.

Her gaze returned to Damon frequently, memorizing every single delicious inch of his toned back and arms; she smiled a little when he reached out in his sleep, and pulled her pillow closer. The lower part of his body was covered from her sight but she could vividly recall how strong he felt against her body as he made love to her one more time later that night. They didn't talk much; there weren't too many things they didn't knew about each other. He gazed into her eyes with so many conflicting emotions visible in the moonlight, as his fingers traced her features with feather light touches and she had to push her own defensing mechanism aside because her mind found it hard to process that now she didn't have to reprimand him and ask to stop.

And so after he fell asleep with his arms around her, she let herself relax and follow him into the land of dreams. She slept in his arms like a baby, her fingers entwined with his and their hearts beating in sync.

But then she woke up with a start to the singing of a nightingale.

Her gaze fell on Damon…

And she was horrified, and shocked.

She fled from the bed as if she were being haunted and ended up on the windowsill. A few minutes later she realized that she needed to pee. After relieving herself, she found the stickiness between her legs gross, so she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She barely recognized herself in the mirror; her eyes looked impossibly big and shiny, her face was flushed and there were several faint marks on her neck and collarbone. She looked like she had a hell of a good time in bed and well… she'd really had.

She couldn't recall the time she felt this rested and sated though certainly it wasn't the first time she'd spent a night with a man. Her mind made an attempt to compare Damon to those who she slept with but before she could think about things deeper, she turned away from the mirror and pulling on her satin robe, walked back to the bedroom.

She couldn't go back to bed. As much as her body protested against her decision to stay physically away from Damon, her mind couldn't agree more.

This wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to end up with him in a situation like this. Sure, she secretly dreamed about him, she also secretly fantasized about having him all for herself countless times before… and now, when she finally knew how perfect and amazing it felt being loved by Damon, she just freaked out.

Feeling restless, she tiptoed across the room to find her diary on her desk; but it meant she'd have to rummage through her things which would surely wake him up. Her gaze fell on her sketchbook, which she had neglected for the past several weeks and suddenly, she knew what to do. She needed to run her pencil over the paper and it would calm her down.

Walking back to the windowsill, she wrapped a fluffy afghan around her body and taking the sharpened pencil between her fingers, she gazed out of the window to find inspiration.

"Elena…" She turned to him startled only to see he was mumbling her name in his sleep.

And then, she couldn't put a finger on when and how, as her eyes drank in his whole being, her hand started to move on its own volition, the pencil in her hand drew dark lines and then softer ones, smoothing the edges and the harsh shadows. Glancing over Damon's sleeping form, she didn't watch him with the eyes of a lover at that moment; the artist in her sprung to life and she admired his body with the eyes of a painter while her pencil tried to catch the moment of silence and perfection of the morning.

She was deep inside her thoughts as she let the pencil talk for her on the paper; she missed the fact that Damon was watching her with half lidded eyes, almost from the minute she started to draw. He woke up without changing his position, simply enjoying the view of her as she sat there wrapped in the knit afghan on the sill, the morning light made her features glow, softly and her whole body seemed relaxed. He couldn't even remember when was the last time she'd just enjoyed a moment like he saw her now.

She looked peaceful and serene. She kept glancing at him frequently and he realized, she was completing another sketch of him. She did it often while she stayed with him in his workshop so he was quite used to being her object at this point, though he couldn't deny that every time it made him unbearably aroused when he saw her with a pencil and the sketchbook in her hand. Her glances felt like she was running her cool fingertips over his hot skin. His morning hardness started to become uncomfortable, considering he was still positioned on his stomach and his erection threatened to poke a hole into her mattress.

He watched her impatiently, waiting for the familiar expression on her face which would let him know she was finished with her drawing. The minutes dragged by at a snail's pace and his situation in the bed soon became a pure torture for him. Finally, just a second before he was going to make a move, she sighed triumphantly and he was relieved to see her close the sketchbook.

"Morning." He whispered causing her to yelp in response. The sketchbook fell from her hand and as she jumped down from the windowsill, she kicked it accidentally underneath her bed.

"Shit!" She cursed and bent down to find the book as Damon finally rose from the bed and pulled her into his arms.

"Let it be." He whispered to her and for a second, the world seemed to stop again as they locked their gazes. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tipping his chin down, he placed a soft kiss on her nose.

"Morning…" She murmured hesitantly and let her face nuzzle against his bare chest as he stroked her hair reverently. They didn't say a word, just let the memories drift onto the surface and show up in the morning light. Her arms snaked around his back and caressed his shoulder blades absentmindedly as she let her anxiety slowly vanish only to be replaced with another yet undefined emotion which was so strong and powerful it made her shudder.

"How do you feel?" He asked when he felt her pull away.

"Different." She responded, averting her gaze. It was too much for her at that moment and she wasn't able to handle this new level of intimacy. "You can use the shower if you want to…" She trailed off, inhaling his scent.

"Thanks."

"I'll bring up some coffee." She murmured and practically ran out of the room. Damon watched her confused before walking into the bathroom.

She was already back in the room when he walked out in nothing more than a towel around his waist. Elena didn't spare a glance for him because she was busy choosing the right dress for the school day. She was annoyed as usually, she never gave a second thought about her outfit. She just wanted to look decent and spohisticated all the time, but this morning every single item looked boring and too conservative

"What's wrong?" He asked as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed, not bothering with dressing up. His eyes traveled up and down her body hungrily as she was dressed in no more but a pair of white lace panties and a bra. He stiffened uncomfortably at the sight of her pert ass as her muscles strained from the effort while bending over to find the right pair of shoes. Her long, shiny chocolate hair fell over her shoulders and she tossed it back with a huff. Apparently, she was unaware of the effect she had on Damon and so she yelped out when his arms snaked around her waist and she felt his erection becoming prominent and hard against her soft skin.

"Damon, wha-" She started to say but he spun her around until she was facing him and before Elena could protest, he kissed her. And what a kiss it was! He wasn't as gentle and hesitant as he was last night; sure, he remained painfully tender but the urgency his lips parted hers so he could slip his tongue against hers made stop her mind for a second.

It felt like he was tuned in with her emotions so deeply that she never doubted he was always a step ahead of her, like he instinctively knew how to touch her, how to make her feel the longing that clawed it's way out of her onto the surface. He tasted so damn good, a thought flickered across her mind as their tongues met and mated and she moaned into his mouth when he lifted her up and with two long steps carried her back to the bed. She briefly thought about protesting but her brain refused to cooperate as why exactly she needed to stop him. Every single rational word left her brain when he lay her down on the bed, his lips never leaving hers as she became alive under his skilled, searching hands.

Arching her back she let Damon cup her breasts which were so sensitive to his touch that it almost hurt, but she wasn't the one to complain. It felt like every nerve ending under her skin was aware of his caresses and kisses as his thumbs made maddeningly slow circles around her nipples, making them stiffen under the soft pads of his fingertips. It was a slow, painful torture as her body remembered the previous night and the fact that he was able to make her every cell sing for him with passion… and love.

Her eyes snapped open only to meet his icy blue stare. His hands were still rubbing her through her bra, her body still shivered under his touch with unfulfilled desire and she was sure he knew and understood her inner turmoil and instead of ignoring it, he pried his lips away from hers, giving her a stare that shook her to the core.

"You feel it too…" He whispered as one of his hands came up to cup her face so softly it brought tears to her eyes. She raised her hand to palm his and their fingers intertwined for a second while they did nothing else just watch each other with wondering eyes.

Last night was about passion and coming together after two years of pent up frustration. It was about giving and receiving, trying to make their best to make each other happy and satisfied. But the morning light brought another level to their intimacy. It wasn't only about the physical connection anymore.

"What's happening, Damon?" She whispered and he felt her shiver. Her eyes widened and for a second she was truly scared under the weight of her emotions. Goosebumps erupted over her skin as he swiped his fingers down her sides, lifting her a little so she could lie more comfortably on the bed as their heads rested on the soft pillows. He made an attempt to pull away but she squeezed his fingers between hers to make him stay.

"I'm here…" He murmured.

"I'm scared…" She mumbled with downcast eyes. Damon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and lifting her chin, he gave her a stare that made her lips tremble with emotion.

"Remember what I said last night?" He asked tenderly and she nodded.

_We are going to fight for us._

"I meant it." His words were loud and clear making her snuggle closer to him. Her fingertips drew small patterns over the hard planes of his chest while they remained silent, enjoying the silence that connected them, the silence that spoke in volumes about something that evolved between them. This emotion was new and fresh, standing on trembling legs of a newborn and Elena was afraid if one of them spoke up it would crush this feeling.

So she tipped up her chin and kissed him, pouring her whole heart into that one single kiss. It wasn't much more than a touch of the butterfly but as soon as their lips met, sparks started to fly and crackle around them. The magic of the emotion turned their chaste kiss into something stronger and significant. They kissed without abandon, tongues wrestling and surrender the next moment; hands searching and discovering every inch of naked skin, souls reaching out and touch the other…

He didn't hesitate the second time he touched her breasts, kissing his way down on her neck through her collarbone until her reached his goal. He pulled the cups of the bra gently down, not bothering to unclasp it before his mouth enveloped the engorged tips one after another like he instinctively knew that how deeply she ached for his touch, even after a night spent together.

Their night showed her what she had truly missed until now; a man who knew her body better than even she did, someone who would prove her how perfect it could be, being loved by someone who haven't thought about his own pleasure before he could give her what she needed…

It felt like her heart was going to explode under the impact of those emotions and memories that connected her to Damon in a much deeper level than the world would comprehend. All those people around them saw only the businessman who was smart and rude enough to run his father's company successfully; the man who never tied himself to any woman emotionally; who had no boundaries to call the others out on their BS… the list was long and some points weren't even nice…

But she couldn't deny the only truth that never changed for the past two years: he always came back to her, talked to her, and supported her wishes and dreams… He might have made a ton of mistakes but was never mistaken when it came to her needs; he was her friend, the only selfless best friend who saw the best in her, who accepted her for who she was. He saw beyond her mask and knew the woman who always tried to fit in, to be the good one, suppressing her own true nature so she could be accepted and loved.

It felt so liberating being loved by someone who didn't need to turn her into a perfect creature, someone who accepted her flaws and never judged her.

Emotions and thoughts were flashing across her mind as his skilled fingers caressed the soft skin of her abdomen and she grabbed his shoulders to pull him closer, to feel his skin against hers, making them move perfectly in sync while their lips found each other once again. Her fingertips slid down over his spine until she reached the towel around his waist just before the moment he pulled at her panties, slipping lower until his fingers rested on her clit.

"Damon…" Elena's head fell back onto the pillow as the pleasure shot through her body like a lightening. He didn't move his fingers for a second so he could admire her face and her heaving chest as it rose and fell rapidly. He couldn't help but enjoy the fact that she probably never let herself surrender to anyone like this before. She always tried to control things before but now… she just lay back and enjoyed the moment. It was a rare occurrence for her and he intended to make the best out of it.

Damon contemplated waiting for a few seconds longer, only to see if she would start to beg but his own desire urged him to move his fingers and give her the pleasure her body was made for. Crushing his lips against hers, his forefinger slipped into her tight heat while his thumb focused on the swollen bundle of nerves. His tongue slid against hers lazily, savouring the delicate moment of shared passion as his thumb drove her crazy as it drew maddeningly slow, firm circles over her slickened flesh in an unhurried pace.

She felt the pleasure build inside her, running through her veins before centering in the pit of her stomach, deep inside where she couldn't even define how and what was happening. The only thing that mattered was this crazy feeling that made her head spin as his kisses became more urgent and so were his hands on her. He added another finger to heighten her pleasure and she didn't disappoint; her back arched from the bed, pressing herself against his hard body, and her fingers which were squeezing the sheets just seconds before, suddenly came up into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

"Damon…" She let out a breathy moan when she came up for air and their gazes locked. Her breath was immediately caught at the crazed sexy look he was giving her.

"What?" He asked with a carefree smile and her heart skipped a beat at how boyish, how innocent he looked when he watched her like this as the pace of his hand slowed down in her panties.

"More." The word rolled from her lips like a prayer and she wondered how could such an innocent word change into something erotic as she saw his darkening stare. She almost giggled with joy that he didn't ask what 'more' he could give her; he understood her silent plea and got rid of her panties in a matter of seconds.

The sight of her naked body took his breath away once again. She was perfect in his eyes, every curve and swell, just the right size and shape, her skin was the smoothest he ever had the luck to touch… He reached out to trace the swell of her breast and she registered his fingers were hesitant and trembling. She palmed his hand and pulled herself up so they were sitting face to face on the bed. Her palm slipped onto his face as she leaned in to capture his lips in a sweet kiss. She slid her tongue over his lips until he opened up to her and let her dominate their kiss. He was so lost in the sensation that he barely registered when she climbed onto his lap, rubbing her slick core against his erection until his hesitancy faded away and lining himself up along her entrance, he slowly entered her. His hands immediately came to rest on her hips, holding her in place.

"Don't move, love…" He whispered into her shoulder breathily as he tried to compose himself. Elena's hands were on his chin in an instant to pull him into a tender kiss. He was glad she didn't need a further explanation because she kept the kiss chaste and her eyes regarded him lovingly as her walls slowly adjusted to his size.

He waited a few moments before he trusted himself enough to move without instantly exploding within her. Bringing his hands to her legs, he wrapped them around his hips and started to move slowly, his lips searching for hers and their tongues dancing around each other, matching the rhythm of the their love making. She held onto him as her hips met his, thrust for thrust, every movement was forceful and deep, making her head spin as she pried her lips away from his to catch her breath.

"Damon…" His name was barely louder as a whisper as he covered her skin with open mouthed kisses and every kiss; every lick shook her to the core. She couldn't get enough of the feeling as her muscles stretched around him, her body tried to melt into his, soft against hard, trying to mold into one. Every thrust brought her closer to the edge and she squeezed her muscles around him to urge him to not hold back. Groaning into her neck, he got the message and his movements became erratic, his breath came out in rush pants and in a second he changed their positions, pressing her into the pillow. Prying her eyes open, their gazes locked and she started to shiver at the unspoken emotions that flickered in his beautiful blue orbs as he pounded into her harder than ever.

Her fingers dug into the skin of his biceps as her body started to tighten and prepare for the completion of her climax and he slid his hand between them to help her to fall over the edge. She let out a loud cry before her body tensed up and for a second it felt like the whole world disappeared as her walls started to flutter and spasm around him. He watched her with wonder in his eyes, his own pleasure becoming painfully intense as he followed her over the edge. Trying to suppress his growl, he bit into her perfect skin; she tasted so good like a piece of the best chocolate in the world.

They didn't move as they both tried to catch their breaths, getting lost in their own thoughts as their minds tried to process what was happening to them. She trailed her fingers up and down his spine and placed a lazy kiss on his neck. This was pure bliss, he thought as he pulled away a little, searching her gaze.

"Hi." He said with a tiny smile, smoothing the hair out of her face. "What are you thinking about?"

She furrowed her brows, trying to concentrate which she found hard since her mind was still coming down from the earth shattering orgasm she'd just experienced.

"I need to take another shower." She murmured with twinkling eyes.

"Seriously?" He laughed out loud. "This is your first thought right now?"

"Well, not exactly the first, Mr. Salvatore," She said teasingly, running her fingers across the slight blush over his face "My first thought is that you may have ruined me for all mankind."

Concern flashed through his eyes as he pulled away further and watched her with scrutiny.

"Did I hurt you?" His voice was filled with anxiety and Elena's heart leapt with joy. For some reason it made her insanely happy to see how deeply he cared about her that the possible thought of him hurting her freaked him out. "Did I do something wrong?"

Reaching for his hand, she entwined their fingers and placed them over her heart. She saw him swallowing and his eyes lost that happy sparkle from the moment before.

"Hey, calm down, Damon." She whispered with widening eyes. "Do you feel me?"

He nodded.

"Does this feel wrong?" She asked as the emotions tightened around her throat again when his eyes filled up with tears.

"Elena, I-"

He never could finish his sentence because Elena's phone started to ring loudly and she automatically reached out to answer the call. One quick glance at the display told her it was not going to be a pleasant call.

"Hey Stefan," She said breathlessly into the speaker before pulling away from Damon. He let her go in an instant and after a second of hesitation grabbed his clothes and started to put them up.

"Hey, did you sleep well?" His voice was kind and filled with concern.

"The best." She smiled before realizing her mistake. They'd just broken up last night. She wasn't supposed to sleep well after that, she thought, as the old habit of guilt kicked in. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that." She murmured while getting up from the bed, ignoring Damon's questioning look.

"No its okay, Elena." Stefan said after a second of heavy silence. "Actually, I don't mind that you slept well. At least, it helped to clear your thoughts."

To clear her… what? Her mind screamed at her.

"You were saying?" She tried to keep the polite tone while walking into the closet and grabbed the first hanger with a skirt suit that came into her hand.

"I was thinking about us last night, honey." He said softly. "I kept replaying everything from the past months, trying to come up with the answer to what exactly happened to us."

"Stefan…" She closed her eyes, sighing.

"No, please hear me out, Elena…" He was pleading with her, the desperation evident in his voice. "Look, I don't think we should discuss our relationship over the phone. Meet me at the Grill for lunch."

"Just lunch?" She replied hesitantly.

"Promise."

"Okay."

Elena walked back to the room with a deep sigh only to see Damon sipping at his coffee at the window. He didn't turn around while she put on her clothes and remained silent all the time until the silence became deafening in the room. He stood there rigidly as a statue clutching the cup between his fingers so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Once she was dressed in her gray suit with a pencil skirt, Elena took several hesitant step towards him until she was standing behind him.

They stood there like this for endless minutes until she decided to break the silence.

"Damon-" She started but he interrupted her.

"Are you going to tell him about us?" He asked hoarsely, placing the cup on the desk.

"I don't know." She whispered. Damon turned around and their gazes locked. "I don't know how to tell him."

"Do you regret it?" He asked quietly with no emotion on his face. Every muscle was perfectly under his control and nothing betrayed the inner struggle within him except his eyes. They were stormy and haunted, scared and most of all, defeated.

She reached out to touch his face and for a second it seemed like he would flinch away.

"I don't regret anything, Damon." She said firmly, tilting her head a little.

"Then why?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question, to say the words.

"Because I owe him that. He's in denial and I need to be honest with him to make him understand it's truly over between us. I promised to fight for us, remember?" She asked with a tiny smile tugging at her lips and her heart leapt with joy when he finally relaxed a little.

"Are you going to tell him about us?" He repeated the question from earlier.

"I think it would be for the best."

He held her gaze for a second before pulling her into a tight hug. She let out a contented sigh as their bodies collided and let her face rest in the crook of his neck.

"I want to be there with you when you tell him." He murmured while his fingers were playing with the silky strands of her chocolate hair. "But not today."

"He should know about us." She said without conviction, inhaling his intoxicating scent.

"I'd rather wait for the right time to tell him."

"Why?"

"I just want us to have one selfish little day…" He trailed off, unable to express his thoughts with words.

"Once things settle down, we can have as many selfish days as many you want, I promise." She took him by his hand flashing a reassuring smile at him. She didn't let him go until his features started to relax. He squeezed her fingers and she was amazed how insecure he was being after all the things they'd experienced together. "You don't believe me?"

He blinked in response.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I see it in your eyes…"

"I'm just having a hard time to process everything that has happened between us. It feels unreal…" He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Come here…" She whispered before pulling him into a hug and placed a kiss on his perfect lips. "I'm not going anywhere. I just need to talk to him."

She saw the defense in his eyes and though her heart was breaking for Damon, she knew him well enough that he needed some time to process and come clean with his emotions.

"I'll meet you after I speak to Stefan."

"Okay." He replied hesitantly.

She pulled away from Damon with a sigh and bent down to retrieve her sketchbook from the floor.

"I need to do some drawings with the kids today." She uttered before slipping it into her shoulder bag.

He watched her silently as she got ready for the work. She sat down in front of her mirror and put on light make up, being well aware of his fascinated look. For some reason, he found it incredibly erotic, watching a woman doing those mysterious things to make her eyes look bigger and her lips fuller… He used to watch Elena do those things before but he was always just a friendly observer before…

Until now. He silently walked behind her and took the hairbrush from her desk and started to comb her long, shiny hair. Their gazes met in the mirror and her hand stopped in the air. The gesture was intimate and incredibly tender. He expected her to stop him but her tiny nod and sweet smile made him feel braver. He let the brush run through her hair almost effortlessly and he enjoyed the sun reflecting on the straight tresses as he let them fall from his fingers only to lift the brush once again and repeated the motion over again until she was finished with her make up.

Damon walked to the chest of drawers then to retrieve the diamond collar for her. She rose from her seat and went to stop him mid-motion and picked the shell pendant from the chest. She saw the wonder in his eyes which was soon replaced with unbounded glee. He made an attempt to say something but she placed the pendant in his palm and lifting her hair, she turned around. He fastened the platinum chain around her neck effortlessly and kissed her below her ear before taking a step back.

"Thank you." She smiled at him before they got ready to leave her room.

"Hey, you left your scarf…" He said with a mischievous smile.

"What s-" She couldn't finish her question because he pulled her lips in for a sweet kiss before letting her go.

"See you this afternoon." He gave her a wink before making their way out of the house.

"For once I'm glad Katherine doesn't wake up before noon." She muttered after she locked the door.

Damon followed her to her car and held the door for her while she got in. Their gazes met again and she blushed at the darkening promise of his smirk. Yeah, she would meet him after the lunch indeed. She felt the need for him rise in her insides again and she prayed the morning would pass soon.

He watched her leave and slowly walked to his car, with a goofy expression on his face. Maybe God existed after all, he thought. It would explain the happiness he felt at the moment. He drove to his condo to change into his business suit and start the new day with a new emotion in his heart. An emotion, which was strange and different from all those shallow feelings he felt before. There was always something that bound him to Elena and now, now he was finally able to give it a name.


	13. Chapter 13

**Discl: as per usual. **

**This chapter is betad by Joyce who's also a great friend. **

**CHAPTER 13**

"Hey," Stefan greeted her as she walked into the Grill after a rather exhausting morning at the school "I'm glad you could make it."

Elena gave him a smile which was sweet, hiding the inner struggle she felt at the moment.

"Yeah, I needed a break." She turned around as Stefan took her coat and pulled out a chair for her. "The kids today were a bit overwhelming."

Stefan gave her a relieved smile as he thought about how easily they fell back into their normal routine. Elena talked about sweet nothings while he solved their relationship for them.

He led her to her seat and pulled the chair out. She offered him a tiny smile that warmed his heart and he let himself hope again. He was the right man for Elena and she was the right woman for him, just as it always should have been.

"Let's see what's on the menu today." Elena broke the silence.

"I've already ordered for both of us." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"You ordered…" She trailed off. She told him so many times before not to order for her at the restaurant.

"Do you mind?" He asked without real concern. "I thought you would like lamb chops with cranberry sauce."

"Sure." She didn't look up from the table and tried to swallow back her disgust. Truthfully, she hated anything that wasn't pork or chicken and one would think Stefan would remember such a thing. But apparently, he forgot about that. Again.

She offered him a tiny smile from time to time and was glad when her sparkling water arrived, so she could get herself busy playing with the glass. While listening to the music her gaze fell on the bright blue orchid in the vase in front of her. Her fingers reached out to touch the delicate petal as her mind drifted back to the morning she shared with Damon. It was an odd feeling, knowing him for the past two years yet she felt like they'd just meet and everything got restarted with a new knowledge and experience.

Stefan watched her with a hawk eye, trying to figure her out. She looked reserved and relaxed at the same time. He saw the small smile tugging at her lips and the slight blush adorning her cheeks.

"You look good." He said appreciatively making her shift her gaze to him.

"Thank you." She replied and once again, fell silent. The situation grew more than awkward between them by the time their food arrived. She picked up her fork, being well aware of Stefan's scrutinizing stare, and went straight for the salad and boiled potatoes.

"You should try the lamb. It's delicious today."

"I'd rather stick with the veggies." She spoke quietly, afraid of his response. He never liked food being wasted.

"As you wish." He replied and dug into his food without commenting on her odd behaviour.

Elena was relieved when the waitress finally took away their plates.

"Coffee?" Stefan offered and she nodded. She saw the determination on his face and her stomach got tied in knots, feeling so nervous that she was afraid she'd throw up. "Look, Elena, I think we should talk about last night."

He was confused when he saw the blood leave her face in a matter of seconds and she stayed silent as she regarded him with vary eyes.

"Last night I let you go because I thought it was for the best. I felt like we both needed to pause and clear our heads. But then…" He paused and Elena shifted in her seat as he cleared his throat. "I recalled all our fond memories and it occurred to me that I'm not able to imagine my life without you. You are so important for all of us… my mother adores you. Even Damon looks almost human when you are around."

Her breath was caught in her throat as Stefan mentioned Damon's name. The situation couldn't have gotten any worse at this point.

"Stefan, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think it's a good idea to get together back again." She locked her eyes with his kind ones, feeling guilty. "I-I like being like this."

"You mean… being separated from me?" Stefan asked with surprise.

She couldn't hold his gaze much longer. Instead of replying, she reached into her purse and fished out a small blue box. Stefan blanched at the sight of it.

"You are giving me back…" He couldn't say the words.

"Your ring, yes." She steeled herself. "I wanted to do this for a long time now, Stefan." She gulped as the hurt became visible on his features. "You are a wonderful man and I'm sure you are going to find a nice girl soon who could make you happy and be a wonderful wife to you."

Stefan's gaze shifted from her as he stared into the space.

"Stefan?" Elena reached out to grab his hand over the table. He lifted her hand and kissed the top of her wrist.

Elena's heart stopped beating for a second. She squirmed in her seat and pulled away her hand from Stefan's and with a forced smile turned back to him.

"It's okay, Elena." Stefan said with strained look. "You just need some time. I get it."

"Look, I need to get back to the school now." She tried to maintain an eye contact with him but he kept his gaze sported on his coffee mug.

She gathered her things with a sigh and stood up.

"I'll walk you out." He said abruptly and pocketing the ring, he gently touched her elbow. Elena glanced around only to see people watching them with a smile and once again she was glad that no one could read her mind there.

She turned to him once they were standing outside.

"Thank you for the lunch, Stefan."

"You are welcome," He gave her a smile that once made her heart beat faster in the past. "Elena, you should know I'm not going to give up on us soon. I love you and I will fight for you until I get you back."

She opened her mouth to speak but he put a finger on her lips.

"Don't." He said softly with a patronizing smile. "I want you to think about it and to remember how good we were together."

Every nerve ending in her body buzzed with irritation as she forced herself to tell him a silent goodbye. She managed to walk to her car and get in. Glancing at the building, she saw Stefan watching her with a reassuring smile and she waved him back. She pulled out of the parking lot and once Stefan was out of her sight, her nerves gave out and her hands started to tremble on the steering wheel uncontrollably.

Keeping an eye on the road, she reached for her cell phone in the purse and putting it on the speaker, she hit the speed dial button. Tapping her fingers against the steering wheel nervously she felt incredibly tense and impatient. The phone rang once, twice and she was about to press the end button when Damon finally picked it up.

"Where are you?" She went straight to the point.

"At a meeting with father." He said in a strictly business tone.

"How long?" She asked, trying to suppress the trembling in her voice.

"An hour." He said.

"Doesn't matter. Just be in the workshop after that." With this she pressed the end button and drove back to the school where she spent another 45 minutes coaching some of her students. She could barely focus on the subject and counted every single minute until the lesson ended.

TVD

Sitting on the bar stool, Stefan ordered another round of tequila for himself when he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He turned around in a hope he'd find Elena there.

"Hey Stefan," Caroline chirped in a sweet voice, ignoring that his face fell a little in disappointment, "I was looking for you."

"I'm not going to be the best company right now." He said with a sigh, turning back to his drink, expecting her to leave.

Much to his surprise, Caroline took the stool next to him and told the waiter to bring some coffee.

"What's going on?" She asked gently. "Last night you were all happy and celebrating."

"Well, I'm not really in my smiling mood today." He let out a bitter chuckle.

"What happened?" Caroline asked the question Stefan dreaded to hear.

"I-" He swallowed. "I don't want to talk about it. If I say it out loud, it'll make it real."

Caroline watched him with scrutinizing eyes as she took a sip from her mug.

"Does your mood do something with Elena?" She asked finally.

Stefan let out a deep sigh and nodded.

"We broke up." He murmured. Now, it was official and it hurt a big amount.

"You what?" Caroline cried out and several heads turned in their direction. She caught herself and toned it down a bit. "You broke up?" She whisper-yelled with disbelief. Stefan stared into his drink and pulling the ring box out of his pocket, he pushed it towards Caroline and waited for her outburst which she didn't disappoint to deliver. "But last weekend everything was all right between you!"

"Actually, it started with last weekend."

"What? You got too passionate and it freaked you both out?" She said with wide eyes.

"Care, I don't know what are you talking about." He watched her with a blank expression.

"Last Sunday? The hickey on Elena's cleavage?" Caroline raised her brows questioningly. "Does it ring the bell?"

Stefan stared at her as his mind tried to put together the pieces of information.

"I wasn't with Elena last weekend." He said with concern. "I clearly remember she spent the weekend with you, out of the town."

"No, Stefan, she didn't."

"She said she was going to see you on Saturday." He straightened his shoulder as suspicion creeped into his thoughts.

"She definitely wasn't there. I went to Atlanta on Friday night with Bonnie and Rebekah. Ask them if you don't believe me."

"She wasn't with you then. And you say she sported a hickey on Sunday." He said slowly.

"Yep." She replied with sincerity. Their gazes met, both filled with fear, wonder and stun.

"What are we going to do now?" He asked after a long, tense moment.

"Well, first of all, we need to prove our suspicions. But right now, I'm going to talk to your mother about it and maybe she can come up with some answers. Give me a few hours and I'll know what to do." Caroline straightened her back with determination. "Don't be afraid. We'll fix this situation."

Stefan watched her amazed and a tiny flicker of hope carried a bit of light into his torn heart.

TVD

Elena was relieved when finally, she left the school building behind her back that afternoon. Her cell buzzed up and Katherine's name flashed up on the display.

"Where are you?"

"'Morning to you too, sister." Elena berated her because she was quite sure Katherine'd just got out of the bed.

"Haha, funny. I'm up since nine, just for your information."

"Wow. I hope you did the laundry."

"Do I look like I do?"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"Just wanted to know at what time you shall grace me with your presence at home today?" Katherine asked in a dramatic tone.

"I don't know. I need to do some stuff," A pair of blue eyes flashed across her mind "I should be at home by dinner, I think."

"Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business."

"Oh come on, Elena!" She cried out. "I know you are up to something. I heard you last night and I'm fairly sure it wasn't Stefan in your bed with you. So?"

"Okay, okay." She took a calming breath and for a second, she gave into the temptation to tell someone her secret. "It was the shell pendant-guy."

"I fucking knew it." Katherine said triumphantly. "You won't tell me his name?"

"Nope." She smirked with relief that her sister didn't judge her actions.

"At six, it is then?" Katherine changed the subject again. Elena took a quick look at the clock on the car panel. It was 3:15.

"Okay, six it is."

"Don't be late. Oh, Elena, and don't think I'm not smart enough to figure out who it is. "I'll have his name figured out by six o'clock tonight."." Katherine said cryptically and hung up.

Meanwhile, Elena reached the Salvatore mansion but instead of parking at the front of the house, she opted for driving into the garage, to hide her car from the prying eyes. Trevor, the valet greeted him with a smile.

"Hey Miss Elena, how do you do?" He asked politely.

"I'm good, thank you. Can you tell me who's at home?" She replied while he led her into the building.

"Of course. Mr Giuseppe, Stefan and Damon are still at work and Mrs Salvatore left an hour ago. Would you like to wait for them in the parlor?" Elena's gaze fell on the backyard.

"I'd rather take a walk in the park, if you don't mind." She said and Trevor nodded.

"The park is lovely in the snow today." He offered her a smile before leaving her standing in the hallway.

Once he was out of the sight, she walked out of the backdoor and went straight to the workshop. She knew Damon never locked the door and opening the door, the familiar scent of wood and machine oil, mixed with the furniture polish hit her nostrils and she felt the tension fall from her shoulders. It was her favourite place where she wasn't anyone's girlfriend, sister, teacher or daughter; the place where she was just Elena who happened to spend some quality time with Damon.

Closing the door behind her, she was glad the heat was turned on, so she shrugged out of her coat and laid it on one of the unfinished pieces of furniture. Her gaze swept over the familiar place lovingly and her heart warmed up recalling the nice memories that tied her to this workshop. There was an opened book lying on the top of the worksheet and though she always respected Damon's privacy, her attention was dragged back to the book again. Going closer, she recognized Damon's handwriting. It was a diary, a journal, it occurred to her when her gaze caught the dates and entries there and her name popped up much too frequently. She turned away, feeling ashamed that she invaded his privacy.

"Dear diary, I killed a deer today. The memory would haunt me forever…" Damon's voice carried to her from the door and she looked up startled.

"I didn't read it." She said defensively. They watched each other warily. She took in his cheeks pink from the cold weather outside and his sparkling eyes which swept over her hungrily and the air started to crackle between them once again. He was wearing one of his silver gray business suits with a crisp white button up shirt and no tie. The first two buttons were undone and dragged Elena's attention to the hollow of his neck like a magnet. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt warmth spread along her insides as her fingers twitched in a need to touch him.

"What was so urgent that couldn't wait?" He broke the silence as his eyes devoured her skirt suit covered body, folding his arms across his chest. He tried to look nonchalant but she saw his breathing picked up and his body was tense. Oh, what was he doing to her? A week ago he was just a friend and an active participant in her naughty dreams! Now every cell in her body was singing for him and his darkening eyes told her that he felt the same. The yearning, the want… the need to feel exposed, naked skin, slickened flesh as they would pant against each other's lips…

"Everything's all right now." She said with a smile and for some reason, her eyes filled up with tears as she slowly walked to him until she could wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his chest. Inhaling his unique scent, she let out a shaky breath as the tension left her body and the withheld tears started to flow freely.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He murmured while he pulled her closer to his body and caressed her hair. "Tell me, Elena… Let me help you."

"It's nothing…" She sobbed.

"Did Stefan hurt you?"

"No!" She cried out. "He was quite… good, I think." She pulled away a little and their gazes locked. His shocking blue orbs sent electrifying tingles all over her body and she enjoyed the feelings he evoked in her. "He doesn't want to accept that he and I broke up."

He watched her with a guarded expression.

"You made up?"

"No!" She said loudly. "I wouldn't be here if we did." Her tone was firm and forceful. "I just… needed to see you, I think."

He pulled her closer and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm happy." He murmured, basking in the warmth of the emotions she awakened in him.

She looked up at him startled by his confession and the moment her gaze fell on his lips, she felt the fire spread along her veins. It was nothing she'd ever felt before.

She felt torn. Doubting. Questioning.

What was happening to her?

She couldn't follow the trail of her thoughts as he bent down to capture her lips with his own. His soft lips touched hers lightly as if trying to figure out her response. He didn't need to be afraid though; she kissed him back with a needy moan and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Damon was in heaven. After two years of pining after Elena, he'd certainly played out every possible dirty scenario having her all for himself but honestly, he'd never thought she would be such a firecracker.

Sucking on his bottom lip, she started to unbutton his shirt impatiently as the need to feel his naked skin under her palms became unbearable. She let out a contented sigh when she finally succeeded and attacked his lip with her own, kissing him for dear life.

He was shocked at first but quickly recovered, and his fingers raked through her hair, undoing the bun swiftly. By the time he was finished, they both were panting with desire and he was painfully hard and aching for her. Their hands were searching and pushing the fabrics out of their way while their lips never left each other until her skirt was hiked up on her waist. He lifted her a little and sat her on the table, next to the tools he used on wood. The scent of wood mixed with their own and Damon knew whenever he'd enter this place in the future, he'd always think about this moment, when their eyes locked in a passionate haze, when their hands caressed naked skin and when their bodies were yearning to become one in a lustful embrace. He would never forget her gorgeous eyes as she leaned back and her hair cascaded down her back, surrounding her like a chocolate veil.

Her breathing picked up as she watched him leaning over her, his white collared shirt opened and revealing his toned chest and abs, his hair was tousled from her raking fingers and his lips swollen from their kisses. He was a sight to behold and she reached out to touch his face, trailing her fingertips over his jawline.

"Elena, I need you…" He breathed against her earlobe as his fingers caressed her through the lacy fabric. He was shocked. They were being intimate three times during the past 24 hours and he still felt like a horny teenager and ached like he hadn't had a release in weeks.

Her skin broke out in goosebumps as she bucked her hips against his hand, urging him to finally take her panties off. Her nipples hardened and she swallowed hard watching him as he suddenly dropped to his knees and leaning closer he placed his warm palms on her inner thighs, rubbing her skin gently.

"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly and he gave her a quizzical look in response.

"What does it look like?" He gave her a smile that made her insides clench with desire and then returned his attention to the apex of her thighs. He watched her with mesmerized eyes, prolonging the moment of painfully sweet waiting before he actually touched her there. Giving a tug to her panties, she lifted herself so he could pull them off her body and immediately shoved them into his pocket.

Heat creeped up on her face as he just kneeled there and stared at the most intimate part of her body.

"You are beautiful." He whispered in awe and leaning closer, he gently spread her lower lips and gave her a tantalizing lick. She tasted sweet and tart and was everything he ever dreamed about.

"Oh my…" Elena moaned loudly as he started his sweet torture on her sensitive flesh, working her into quivering mess. His tongue touched every sensitive spot on her core and drew maddening circles around her clit before sucking it between his lips. Every thought left her mind until nothing else existed but Damon and the wonders he did to her body. He ran his hands outside her thighs and gripped her hips firmly and his tongue delved deeper inside her.

"Damon!" She screamed from the top of her lungs when his forefinger joined his tongue and pushed inside of her. Her breaths came out in rash pants as the sensation built in her when he kept up his ministrations until her mouth opened up in a silent scream and her body tensed up before starting to quiver and quake with her orgasm ripping through her.

She lost the track of time as she slowly came down from her high only to meet his smoldering blue eyes as he hovered over her. He gave her his signature smirk and she pulled his lips into a sweet kiss. They kissed lazily, their tongues mating and circling around each other until he felt she was ready to go again. Their kisses turned hungry and before she could voice her desires, he freed himself from the confines of his pants and he kissed her deeply before pushing his way inside her tight heat.

It was heaven, it was hell; she was everything he needed. He started to move inside her and she wrapped her thighs around his hips, to push him deeper, to feel him everywhere. Her walls stretched around him in a delicious way that blew his mind. Their thrust were rough and demanding, as they kept kissing, sucking and nibbling every single inch of skin they could reach in this position. She felt the hard wood dig into her backside and even the slight pain made everything more erotic for her as their sweaty bodies tried to talk for them.

"Damon… I've never felt like this before…" She managed to pant into his neck as she found her way under his shirt and her nails dug into his corded muscles.

"I know…" He breathed against her lips "I know, my love…"

Her eyes widened in surprise and the next moment she exploded around him, spasming and quivering as his name rolled off her lips like a prayer before he let out a growl and felt like his completion was ripped out of his body, in a painfully bittersweet and an utterly perfect way.

"My love…" She whispered, repeating his words with affection, tasting, savouring the meaning of them while she caressed his suit covered shoulder as he laid there on top of her, trying to regain his composure.

"I love how you say it." He murmured into her neck and she felt him smiling against her skin.

"I love it too." A carefree, happy smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes with a contented sigh, never wanting to leave this place again.

TVD

Caroline parked her car in front of the Salvatore house and wasn't surprised when Trevor came to greet her.

"Hey Trevor, I came to see Mrs Salvatore." She chirped at him in a friendly tone.

"I'm afraid I can't help you, Caroline. She left a few hours ago and she'll be back before the dinner."

Caroline's face fell and she was about to climb back into her car when Trevor's words stopped her.

"But Miss Elena is here. She took a walk in the park."

"Thank you." Caroline offered him a smile before he led her to the backyard.

Caroline looked around, searching for Elena's familiar figure but all she saw were the silent trees covered with snow. She was about to turn around and leave when she heard Elena crying out Damon's name.

"Why are they fighting?" She murmured to herself and made her way to the workshop and took a peek inside through the door which was left ajar.

The sight of them felt like a punch in the gut. Caroline watched them kissing in a passionate embrace for a second before feeling like she was going to throw up. First she thought Damon was forcing himself on her but then it occurred to her that Elena's face was flushed, her lips parted and panting and her fingers were caressing the nape of his neck _willingly._

Her world came crashing down around her and turning around, she stumbled back to her car, struggling to keep her tears at a bay.

This couldn't happening, she thought. This wasn't Elena… Elena would never…

Caroline never had a doubt that Damon would use any opportunity to get in Elena's pants but she always saw Elena like someone who stood morally above the general citizens of the town. Caroline felt happy that Elena was the only one who could resist Damon's charm and she was proud of her friend. She would have given into his persuasion right after the first try… but Damon never looked at Caroline that way.

She drove home confused and tears of disappointment were trickling down her face. Her mind refused to process what she saw and all she wanted was to curl up in her bed and die. Things got worse when she saw Stefan's car at her house. Fishing out a tissue from her bag, she wiped the tears down before getting out of the car to meet him.

She greeted him with a forced smile and inviting him in, she immediately went to the cabinet of her living room and made herself a drink. She downed the first shot in no time and instantly poured herself a second one before offering Stefan a glass of whiskey as well.

"Have you talked to my mother?" Stefan asked her in a hopeful tone as they took a seat on the couch.

"Stefan…" Caroline took a sip from her drink, trying to figure out what to say. "I haven't met her. But I saw Elena at your house."

"Elena was there?" Confusion flashed across his features. "What was she doing at my house?"

"She was there with Damon." Caroline said quietly, trying to suppress her shudder.

"Again." Stefan sighed. "I think I will forbid them to meet there. I swear she sees him more than me. Maybe I should set that damned workshop on fire." He murmured into his glass as he stood up and started to pace the room. "Anyway, what were they doing there? I guess he bailed some business meeting so they could discuss another book or so."

Caroline's eyes welled up once again.

"They weren't talking." She whispered.

"But you said, you saw them there together." He said slowly and suspiciousness creeped into his mind.

"Yep." She uttered and poured herself another drink. She still felt betrayed and shocked and the alcohol wasn't helping at all.

"How together were they?" He finally found his voice.

She stared at him with a meaningful look, unable to form the words.

"Caroline… how together were they? Tell me." All colour left his face when her silence and eyes told him the truth.

Stumbling back, he fell onto the couch and stared into the space for endless minutes. The silence became deafening in his ears as his features started to harden until the hopeful look completely vanished from his face. Caroline watched him helplessly and cursed herself for not keeping the truth from him.

"Stefan…" She reached out to touch his hand but he yanked his arm away.

"I need to go home." He said abruptly and downing his drink in one gulp, he shot out of her house, into the darkness.

"Stefan!" She cried out and ran out of the house to stop him but all she saw were the screeching tires of his car as he sped away into the darkness.


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter is betad by the amazing Joyce, a great friend and devoted DE fan. **

**CHAPTER 14**

Elena drove home finding herself grinning all the way as she sang along with the music coming from the radio. She felt good; her body ached in the most delicious way, her lips were still swollen from Damon's kisses and she let her hair down because she couldn't find the hairpins in the workshop. They let each other go with sweet kisses and promised to tell Damon's family the truth about them the next day.

All of a sudden, her cell phone buzzed in her handbag and her smile widened at the thought that Damon'd missed her already. With her eyes on the road, she pressed the green button.

"Miss me?" She giggled.

"Elena?" Stefan's bitter tone sobered her up instantly.

"Stefan." The smile left her face in a matter of seconds.

"Where are you?" He asked in a tone that sent chills down her spine.

"On my way home. I'm almost at the Wickery Bridge." She froze for a second when she realized what she said. The only way to the Salvatore property led to through this bridge.

"I see. Meet me at the bridge. We need to talk."

"I'm tired, Stefan. Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"It won't take long, promise." He said cryptically and hung up without saying anything else.

Elena's heart pounded loudly as a strange feeling crept into her mind. Something felt odd in Stefan's tone and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. A minute later the Wickery Bridge came into her sight, with Stefan standing at the rail, staring into the dark river in the silver light of the moon.

Elena parked her car next to his and despite her alarming feelings, climbed out and straightening her shoulders, she plastered a smile on her lips and walked to him.

"I never had you for a romantic hero who'd prompt a date in the moonlight, in the middle of nowhere." She said in a light tone, trying to gauge his reaction. His face was clouded in the dark and she couldn't make out his expression. When Stefan didn't reply, she decided to walk closer. "Stefan? What's wrong?"

"You tell me, Elena." His tone was eerily quiet and for the first time, a hint of fear swept through her.

"I don't know what you want me to say, honestly."

Now, he angled his body towards her and coming closer, his face was unreadable as he took in her disheveled appearance.

"What were you doing at my house today, Elena?"

"Stefan, I…" She trailed off.

"Where you there with my mother?" He inquired with mock interest. That was the moment it occurred to her that Stefan _knew._

She shook her head and stood there motionlessly.

"My father?" He pried with fake curiosity "Our employees? Or did you bring some flowers for the church service, Elena?"

She gulped nervously.

"Stefan…"

"You have no answer then? You had to have some good reason to go there, other than to fuck my brother!" He stood in front of her now and she started to shiver in fear when their eyes met and she smelled liquor on his breath.

"You are drunk, Stefan. We can discuss it tomorrow." She stated quietly causing him to laugh out loudly.

"Oh, Elena… you passed your opportunity to order me around the moment you decided to fuck him!" She paled under the impact of his cruel words. "What? You don't reprimand me? That's new."

"What do you want me to say?" She sounded defeated, accepting that this night went to hell. "That I regret it? Because I won't tell you such thing. I will never-"

A hard slap across her face silenced her instantly. The pain was sharp and unexpected and she gasped in shock.

"What's wrong with you?" She cried out and backed away from him, as she felt her face swell up. She has never been hit before and certainly never would have guessed that Stefan was capable of such a thing. It hurt and her eyes welled up.

"You tell me, love." He glared at her and the mask of calmness fell from his face. "You seriously thought I would never find out what's going on behind my back for God knows how long?"

"Please… I can explain…" Her eyes welled up and she realized that they were utterly alone in the middle of a dark place and Stefan was beyond any rational thinking at the moment.

"I'm fed up with your explanations, Elena! You fed me your lies since forever and every single time I've accepted your stupid games with my brother because my mother was happy! I was your puppet in hopes that you will finally open your eyes and see what a monster he truly is!" He yelled at her and she started to shiver in fear.

"He isn't a monster, Stefan…"

"What?" He grabbed her roughly and shook her. "You still defend him? How many ways are you going to rip my heart out?"

"Please, Stefan… don't do this…"

"Just tell me one thing, Elena, and I let you go." His tone sounded almost soothing and she looked up at him with a hope in her eyes.

"I never meant to hurt you. You need to believe me. I-I wanted the life you planned for us… But then I met him-"

Another slap silenced her once again.

"How long have you been his whore?"

"I'm not his whore." She whispered, tears staining her face as she cried openly now.

"What did you say?" He towered over her menacingly and that was the moment when something snapped in her.

"I said, I'm not his whore." She said firmly and this time she caught his hand with her own so he couldn't slap her. "You can beat me into a bloody pulp right here and now but it won't change the truth that I have been in love with him for a very long time now. But I've never cheated on you. The first time I slept with him was last night. After we broke up." She put an emphasize on the last word though she knew it wouldn't help at all.

"You're lying." He spat at her but the murderous aggression slowly dissipated from his demeanor. "Caroline saw you sporting a fucking hickey last week and you and I both know you never let me mark your virginal skin, _love."_

"I'm so sorry, that it turned out like this." She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Caroline would betray her. It felt worse than anything else.

"You are sorry…" He laughed out mirthlessly. "I'll tell you when you are going to be sorry, dear. You've made the biggest mistake of your life when you let Caroline see you writhing under my brother. I don't even have to move my finger and everyone will know what a trash you truly are, fucking two brothers simultaneously, ruining a family because you just can't keep your thighs closed. Imagine, how would the parents of your students react to this news… the mothers would start to wonder whether you fucked their husbands… they will accuse you of unthinkable sins. You'll lose your job in a week, I can guarantee."

Closing her eyes, Elena cried openly now. She knew Stefan was right. Caroline never could keep a secret.

"Also, don't forget my mother who was always so proud of you and who helped you become a member at the women's council. No one would take her seriously after this wonderful news broke out." He started to enjoy himself, she could tell from the cold, unaffected tone he was using now. "And oh, let's talk about my big brother, the businessman who is gossiped to become the head of our company after father's retirement. You know what it would do to his reputation? A businessman who cannot keep it in his pants and ruins his family for a lousy lay?"

"Stefan, don't…" She whispered as his words hit her like dozens of well sharpened arrows. He was breaking her, they both knew it.

"Just tell me one thing, before I'm finished with you." He raised his voice and she wondered if she was able to take one more slap from him. Her face was bruised and she never felt this humiliated and broken before. "Why?" The hurt was evident in his voice.

She stood there silently, her shoulders shaking as she tried to suppress her sobs. Anger took over his actions again and he grabbed her forcefully.

"Answer me! Why did you throw away everything you could have? Why, Elena?" He roared at her and shook her shoulders.

"Because I love him! I love him and I would rather die than to live in lies and denial for another day!" She cried out, the words of truth ripping through her as a revelation.

"We can arrange that too." His face was a mask, cold and hard and something died in Elena when he pushed her against the rails of the Wickery Bridge. "I can put you out of your misery. Just say the word and I'll do it!"

"But why?" She cried out as she realized there was a hundred feet of darkness and cold water underneath her. For a second she truly believed this was going to be one of the last minutes of her life. She briefly thought about the moments that were most precious to her and she couldn't believe her life would end like this.

"Because I can wipe that fucked up smug grin off of his face!" He yelled at her but didn't push her further.

"After everything, that's what matters?" She sobbed and stopped struggling against his hold. "Destroying Damon?"

"That's all I've got left." The anger suddenly dissipated from his words and his hands fell to his sides. He looked like he sobered up a bit but the hatred never left his eyes.

"You had me…" She sniffed before pushing herself away from the rails.

"I lost you the minute you met my brother." His words echoed loudly in the night and Elena just stood there, helpless under the impact of the truth in his words. "At least you have the decency to admit it."

"I'm so sorry, Stefan…" She let out a shaky breath. "Tell me how can I help you."

"You want to help?" He scoffed, getting worked up again. "This is priceless! Okay. I'll let you help me." He paused for an effect. "You pack your shit and both you and your slut sister get out of this town. _My town_." He emphasized the last two words and Elena knew he was right.

She came here two years ago and she was nothing but a bump in the road. A speck of dust that gets blown away by the wind and no one would care nor remember that she was once there.

She watched Stefan as he turned around and left without saying as much as a farewell.

TVD

Damon worked long that night at the company and was working through a document with Giuseppe when his cell started to ring.

"Decline it. We have to work." Giuseppe said unaffectedly.

Damon glanced at the display.

"It's mother. I should take it."

"She's just going to scold us for missing dinner." His father murmured, feeling guilty.

"I'm going to take it." Damon decided and pressed the green button. "Hey mom, sorry for being late but a puppy got killed-"

"Damon!" Christina's voice was hoarse. "Stop joking right now!"

"Sorry mom."

"I can assure you that both you and your father are going to be sorry soon if you don't finish work within five minutes, understand?"

"Mom, calm down, we are on our way home." He said, feeling like a little boy again who just got scolded.

While he drove his car home, he dialed Elena's number but it went straight to voice mail. He found it weird, since she never turned her phone off before but after taking a glance at his Rolex wristwatch he saw it was past midnight. She had to be sound asleep by now. A small smile crept onto his lips as he recalled how good it felt, having her amazing curves molded against his. For a second he contemplated turning the car and drive to her; but he wouldn't dare defy his mother when she was this angry.

TVD

Katherine glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time as she did for the past several hours. After last night it occurred to her that she needed to make several changes in her attitude. She was so absorbed in her own problems that she forgot to pay attention to the drama Elena had to face in her life. She knew there was something that she failed to see and she wanted to punch something in frustration.

But last night opened her eyes and gave her an opportunity to see what was going on with Elena. Katherine spent hours awake in her bed, listening to the sounds coming from Elena's room. Thankfully, she couldn't hear everything in detail, but there was a giggle, loud sigh and also a cry into the darkness from time to time.

And that made her think about things that revolved around her sister. As far as she could remember, Elena rarely giggled, certainly not since she moved into this town. She looked laid back and, Katherine dared to say, depressed. Like something was missing from her life.

First, when she came to town, she envied Elena for her perfect little life. Apparently, Elena was the center of attention and people talked about her like she wasn't even from this Earth.

But then, there were more and more cracks in the picture of perfection and Katherine was taken aback when identified Elena's general feelings she dealt with on daily basis. As popular as Elena was, Katherine discovered that in fact, her sister felt lonely. There were moments of happiness and glimpses of her old self and Katherine slowly put the pieces together.

She felt awful after she realized that the only source of Elena's happiness was Damon. Katherine's cheeks burned with shame at the memory of her practically forcing herself on him. She should have stopped when he moaned Elena's name during their awkward act but she was drunk and horny, and most of all, selfish.

And for the first time in her adult years, Katherine realized that she couldn't live like this anymore; using men for her own pleasure, using people's hospitality in her favor, and most of all, using her sister's naivety for her own comfort.

She woke up with a new determination, to make things right. She actually did the laundry and scrubbed and dusted the whole house before making a dinner for the two of them. Katherine wanted to make things right and once she made up her mind, there was no stopping her.

She tried to be patient as she was sure, Elena certainly had lost track of time in the arms of her lover. It was clear as day, that Elena was head over heels in love with someone who wasn't Stefan. She sounded happy and carefree on the phone. She sounded… in love.

And that was the point when Katherine's mind started working on full speed.

She didn't have to think long. Elena's actions spoke for themselves. Katherine recalled the moment when Stefan wanted to remove the shell pendant from Elena's neck at the birthday party. Elena cried out and her gaze flickered to Damon. It was just for a fraction of a second but the response in his eyes was shocking. His gaze shot daggers at Stefan and then he instantly turned away and kept himself busy with the other guests.

They never looked at each other for the rest of the night and Katherine found it weird. As far as she was concerned, Damon and Elena never hid their friendship and people were used to their crazy actions, like back then at the church party, no one batted an eyelash when Damon practically kidnapped Elena.

But on her birthday party, they stayed apart and there was no explanation for that except that…

"Oh my God…" She whispered to herself and after calling Elena, she wasn't quite surprised when her sister's phone went to voicemail.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine dialed Damon's number and was relieved when she heard ringing. Though, it took him six rings until he picked up.

"Not the best time…" He growled into the speaker and Katherine would hang up if it wasn't for Elena.

"I don't care. I know my sister is with you." She went straight to the point, as always. "Can you tell her, she was expected to show up at home six hours ago?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

"Hello? Are you still there?" She asked impatiently.

"Elena is not here, Kat." He said sternly, making her snap.

"Oh, cut the bullshit, Damon! We both know where you were last night and I'm fairly certain that she was going to see you today as well."

"I'm telling you, she's not here." His voice was laced now with worry. "She left after five and she should be in her bed right now."

Katherine was glad that at least he wasn't denying her suspicion.

"The thing is, she isn't." She replied anxiously and glanced out of the window.

"Oh wait. Her car is outside."

"See, I told you." He said harshly. "So now please, excuse me, I've had a hell of a day at work and right now I'm too tired to talk to you."

"Yeah, rough day with my sister." She bit out sarcastically. "Bye." She snapped her phone shut and hurried out of the house instantly.

She walked closer to Elena's car and though she was sure, Elena noticed her, she sat there motionless.

"Hello, are you coming out soon?" She knocked on the window, wondering what the hell was going on. Elena angled her face in her direction and Katherine's breath was caught in her throat, recognizing the tears and her sister's swollen face.

She ripped the door off the car and grabbing Elena's arm, she practically dragged her out of the front seat. Elena followed her without a word, though she couldn't suppress her quiet sobs and sighs.

"Hey," Katherine tried to soothe her when they entered the house "What's wrong?"

Elena shook her head and fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

"Are you hungry?" Katherine asked awkwardly and Elena shook her head again. "I'm going to run you a bath then."

"No." She croaked "I'll take a shower."

She evolved herself from Katherine's arms and walked upstairs to her room. Katherine watched her leave with a confused look and wondered what could possibly go wrong between Damon and Elena.

She waited patiently for the next fourteen minutes but when she heard the water still running, Katherine decided that enough was enough. She was not going to let Elena cry over spilt milk.

"Elena?" She knocked on her bedroom door but when there was no response, she let herself in. "Elena?" She called her name again fear creeping onto her as she heard nothing else but silence from the other side of the door. Turning the knob, she was glad to find the door open. The room was fogged from the steam of the still running hot water with no Elena in sight. "Where are you?" She murmured and was about to turn around and leave, when a quiet sob came from the corner of the room.

She let out a relieved sigh and ran to the sitting figure in the corner of the bathroom and she fell to her knees in front of Elena's motionless figure. There was something in her hand, she was clutching it tightly to her chest. Her face was tainted with dark lines as her mascara melted under the impact of her hot tears. She was wrapped in a white towel and her hair was wet from the shower.

Now, that she had a chance to look closer, Katherine gasped and reached out to touch the bruise on Elena's cheek. "Who did this to you?" She asked, anger boiling inside her at the thought that someone dared to hit her sister.

Elena gazed into the distance and didn't respond. She was pale and her lips trembled.

"Elena, talk to me. I want to know what happened to you."

"You want to know?" She finally turned her bloodshed eyes to Katherine and her lips twitched in a hysterical smile. "It's funny… everyone wants to know… the only time I decide to live my life, all I get is a slap in my face and people want to know…" She trailed off.

Katherine let out a sigh and sat down on the rug, crossing her legs. Something was wrong, she felt it.

"Hey, you can talk to me…" She said quietly and the unbearably sad eyes met her once again. She couldn't hold Elena's gaze and her eyes fell to her fingers resting in her lap.

"I can't… I don't want to talk. All I wanted was to leave this fucking town… I drove for hours until I saw the lights of Atlanta…" She let out a quivering sigh "I tried to leave everything behind as he told me to do…"

"Who told you that?" Katherine was alarmed now. Elena's words didn't make sense.

"He told me I would ruin their family…" Fresh tears pushed their way down her cheeks. "He called me a whore." She let out another sob as she tried to control her shaking fingers. "He almost killed me tonight…" She whispered and Katherine's brows knit together in anger.

"Who, Damon?"

Elena's haunted gaze snapped to her.

"Damon? No, he never would… he's the best thing that happened to me…"

"Then who?" Elena shook her head and her fingers clenched around a small object. "What's that?"

Katherine's eyes tightened as she saw a drop of blood making it's way from her fist. She didn't waste her time with something as exhausting like thinking. She acted on instinct when with the sudden adrenaline rush in her veins, she grabbed Elena's hand and with a quick twist she took the razor blade from her which was cutting into her sister's skin.

"What the hell is this?" She screeched, horrified at the sight of the blood. "What were you going to do, Lena?"

Elena shook her head. "Don't be afraid. I can't do anything right. I fall in love with the wrong brother… I make mistakes all the time… and here, I can't even properly cut my damn wrists!" She chuckled hysterically.

"Are you stupid, Lena?! Answer me dammit!" Katherine shook her shoulders and she yelped out in pain. Bending over, Katherine was shocked to see the bruises forming on her skin. "Who did this to you?"

Elena's stare was blank and she was on the verge of passing out. "Everyone would be better off without me…"

Katherine let her go and stood up, pulling Elena with her. She checked the wound on her sister's hand and after a quick search in the cabinet, she found a band-aid for her. Elena stared at her and let Katherine swipe off the stains of her mascara off of her face.

"Come on." She led Elena into the bedroom and pushed her to sit down on the bed. She looked around and grabbed her sister's pj's from the chair and dropped them next to her. "Put these on and don't do anything stupid, understand?"

Elena looked confused but after a while, she nodded hesitantly.

"I'm going to find us some drink, okay? I'll be back in a few."

She left the room trying to remain as collected as possible but the second the door closed behind her, she reached into the pocket of her sweats and immediately dialed Damon.

"What, now?" His voice sounded tired when he picked up, after letting it ring twice.

"Come over." She said authoritatively.

"I'm going to see Elena in the morning, Kat. I can barely hold my eyes open." He sounded exhausted and she was sure she woke him up from his sleep.

"Someone attacked her tonight."

"What did you just say?" She could clearly picture him sitting up abruptly in his bed.

"And what's worse, I think she was about to cut her wrists a few minutes ago…" She paused for effect, knowing that there was no way Damon would stay away after this confession.

"I'm on my way." He said sternly and the line went dead.

Katherine smirked to herself and went to the fridge to find some decent label of liquor. She was surprised to find a bottle of bourbon in the freezer. It was so not Elena to keep such things there… but then she reminded herself, it had to be Damon's who made himself surprisingly at home in Elena's house.

Katherine took the bottle along with two glasses to Elena's room quickly because she was afraid Elena would do something stupid if she stayed away long enough.

She was pleasantly surprised to see that Elena changed into her pj's and was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling blankly.

"Here, drink this."

"It's Damon's." She tried to push away the strong smelling drink.

"I know. Now drink." She was ready to force the liquor down on Elena's throat but thankfully, she complied and downed the drink in several long gulps. The alcohol burned her insides like fire and she felt her cheeks warm up a bit.

They sat there in a comfortable silence and when Katherine refilled her glass, she didn't object. It felt good, it felt numb. Her mind relaxed and the quivering stopped after the second round.

There was a sound outside of a car parking and her head whipped in her direction questioningly.

"I called Damon." Katherine shrugged unapologetically.

Elena's eyes widened in horror.

"No, he can't be here!" She whispered with quivering lips and her fingers clenched around the glass in fear.

"It was him, who attacked you tonight? Because if yes, just say a word and I'll call the police." Katherine asked with concern as they both heard his key turning in the lock of the front door.

"No… he would never…" Elena trailed off. "Damon would never…" Sobs made her body shake uncontrollably and Katherine was glad that Damon was already there.

She rose from the bed as Damon unceremoniously ripped the door open and after taking three long strides across the room, he was beside her instantly. His hair was tousled and all he wore was a pair of black sweats and a navy t-shirt. Apparently, he drove to Elena right after he got out of the bed and didn't bother with changing into his jeans.

"You can't be here…" Elena sobbed into his chest as he enveloped her in his arms. Her hands sneaked around his torso instantly, contradicting her words.

"Shhh…" He whispered, feeling like his insides were torn apart. Last he saw her, she was all happy and carefree. Now she looked like a wreck and it was killing him. "Who did this to you?"

"You can't be here…" She sighed, inhaling his scent deeply. She loved this smell, fresh and soothing and utterly Damon. He caressed her hair just the way she loved it and the memories of their morning flashed across her mind. "He's going to kill you…"

"Who's going to kill me?" He pulled away from her, taking in her features before placing a kiss onto her forehead.

She stared at him with hooded eyes.

"Tell me…" He pleaded with her.

"He found out." That was all she could say and Damon _knew _who she was talking about. He was shocked and panicked. He was glad to see her alive and was taken aback. He couldn't believe his ears yet he was sure Elena would never lie about things like this.

Katherine felt the years old envy winking at her from the corner of her soul. Oh, how she wished to have someone so close to her, to have someone worrying about her like Damon cared about Elena! She stood there awkwardly and when she was sure they both forgot she was in the room, she quietly left, closing the door behind her.

They barely recognized her absence. Damon stared in Elena's eyes with so many conflicting emotions it made her feel precious and wanted. He didn't need to talk or to assure her that everything was going to be okay; she _knew _he was going to protect her as she would protect him.

She didn't protest when he gently took the glass from her hand and laid her down on the bed. She didn't question why it felt so natural that he took the place beside her, under the duvet. She only let out a contented sigh when he put his arms around her, pulling her against his body. Their fingers intertwined on her stomach and his breath fanned the nape of her neck.

"He said I'm a whore for loving you." She whispered into the darkness and felt him stiffen.

"I should kill him for it." He gritted out.

"He's your brother. He'll always be."

There was silence again, both of them lost in their thoughts. Elena felt her body relax in his embrace.

"So… you love me?" His words echoed in the dark room, trying to sound casual though his voice was weak and trembling a bit.

"I do." She almost laughed out at how good it felt to say it out loud.

He slowly rolled her over, giving her a chance to pull away but she just let him to take control over the situation.

"Say it." He whispered when their gazes locked.

"I love you, Damon." A beautiful smile spread over her lips and he couldn't help himself, he needed to bend down and touch his lips to hers. It was sweet and tender, nothing like the raw passion they'd experienced earlier.

"I have to leave for a business trip tomorrow." He mumbled against her lips and immediately, he felt her pout. "Come with me…"

"I can't leave everything behind…" She replied weakly but her hand reached out to touch him and traced his jawline softly.

"I will make sure your principal lets you leave for a few days." He kissed her fingertips and the gesture made her heart flutter. "You've never taken a day off before. He should appreciate that."

"Why should I go with you?" She was able to let out a little smile now.

"Because I love you too, silly."


	15. Chapter 15

**This chapter is betad by the amazing Joyce. **

CHAPTER 15

Next morning Elena woke up alone in her bed. For a moment, a frown settled over her features, trying to remember last night as she ran her fingertips over the still warm pillow where Damon's head had rested next to hers during the night. She was grateful for him coming over and spending the night with her. His presence made her feel relaxed and it calmed her nerves.

As she made an attempt to smooth her wild curls after her shower, she took a moment to study the angry welts on her arm, reminding her of the previous night and of Stefan. She still couldn't believe what he threatened to do to her. The man she loved for years seemed to completely vanish and turned into someone she didn't recognize anymore.

She didn't know how to feel about it… what to think. For a tiniest of second she questioned herself whether she made the right choice accepting Damon's love.

"Sulking?" Katherine's usually sarcastic tone was laced with concern now. Elena glanced at her only to see her sister dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It was so not Katherine to wear something this simple and Elena raised her brow at her.

"You stole things from my closet."

"Nope, it'd be gross. Actually, these things are mine."

"You never dress like this."

"Well, I do now." She said with a huff. "I just came to tell that we are leaving in a few and your boyfriend aka Damon left you a note to be ready for the trip by 8:30 and also, that he squared the things with your principal." She held up a rumpled piece of paper, squinting. Elena hurried over to snatch the paper from her, angrily.

"Hey it was for me! Why are you reading my letters?" She yelled with incandescent eyes.

"Habit." Katherine shrugged uninterested and pushed herself away from the doorframe.

Elena walked past her into the room and slumped down onto her bed with the towel still wrapped around her body, fidgeting. Katherine's eyes flickered over to the clock on Elena's nightstand and she saw that her sister had less than 30 minutes to get ready for the trip. They both had to be ready since she was leaving to see Jeremy in Chicago and Damon had this business meeting in the same city and after she pointed it out to Damon that morning, he reluctantly agreed to take her with them too.

But something in Elena's demeanor was unsettling.

"Hey…" She started awkwardly and then halted. What could she possibly tell?

Elena's nervous glance found hers. She saw doubt and fear there.

"You wanna talk?" She asked quietly, sinking next to her on the top of the bed.

Elena let out a sigh, as it occurred to her that she practically had no one to talk to. She couldn't call Caroline and certainly not Christina. The third option was Damon but for obvious reasons, she couldn't talk to him about her insecurities and guilt. She was left utterly alone and the thought saddened her further.

"I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing, I guess." She said after a long pregnant pause. Katherine remained silent, not wanting to intrude. She knew Elena needed to get this off of her chest. So, she listened. "This trip… this… love can ruin his family. I don't know if I can bear being responsible for that."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't want to blame myself for giving in to this feeling. I know who Damon is. I know all his flaws and his secrets. I know he has a very long list of one night stands." She trailed off.

"Do you think you made the wrong choice?"

She was deep in her thoughts for several minutes then slowly, shook her head.

"No. You want to know a secret?" She let out a sigh as if she'd come to terms with some realization. "I would've taken a chance with him even it meant a one night stand."

"Wow." Katherine raised her brow. "That's quite a confession. So it was all about getting into his pants?"

Elena turned her tortured gaze at her, only to see that Katherine was sporting a tiny smirk on her face, giving her a signal that she was joking and she cracked a smile in response.

"You make it sound like it was fun."

"Elena, love should be fun." Her gaze grew serious. "When I saw you with Stefan I got the feeling like you were repressed. With Damon though… you look alive. When I was with him-"

"I don't want to hear that." Elena lifted her hand in a dismissive gesture but Katherine was having none of it.

"Hey. You need to hear that." She looked straight in Elena's eyes to make sure she got her sister's full attention. "I'm not going to talk about the sex. Though… it felt quite humiliating to hear him whispering your name… and he didn't even come. But that's not the point," She raised her voice when Elena opened her mouth to speak. "I want to tell you about one of my dates with him. You know, I found it quite frustrating that he never touched me on his own will. He took me to nice places and we joked all the time. We had a great time together and I kind of… had a crush on him."

Elena sat there rigidly and wished she would stop listening to the wonderful dates her sister experienced with Damon, while all she got were stolen moments with him and a couple of slaps from Stefan.

She made an attempt to become deaf to Katherine's words because she was afraid she'd claw her sister's eyes out. Yep, she was that jealous.

But she couldn't not listen.

"He took me once to a truly nice place, to a romantic restaurant with tables under the trees. It was on our third date. So we had the dinner under the starry sky and chatted about some paintings when suddenly, he stopped talking and his gaze flickered over the surrounding woods." Katherine continued in a chatting tone. "I asked him what was the problem and he said: don't you hear it? It's the nightingale sings."

"The nightingale?" Elena asked, feeling confused.

"Yup. The nightingale. He said it reminded him of you."

"Plain and boring, thanks. Way to bust my ego." She frowned.

"Shut up!" Katherine gave her a stern look. "He said, _listen to its singing. It's so exquisite and you can rarely hear it; only in the night when the others are asleep. But then the nightingale's song is the most beautiful in the world… But it ends long before the sun starts to rise._ And I swear he had tears in his eyes as he said it."

Elena bent her head down, touched by Katherine's words.

"Why are you telling me this?" She whispered.

"Because I think, that despite his jackass manners, he's utterly and truly in love with you."

Elena felt tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"If I take a chance on this relationship with him… I'd practically agree with tearing his family apart. What would it say about me, being this selfish? How could I look in people's eyes… living in shame?"

Katherine rolled her eyes inwardly. She never cared about others' feelings that much. She took what she wanted and the rest didn't bother her. But, bracing herself, she recalled last night's promise she made herself. She was going to be a good sister to Elena from now on. She fully intended to keep that promise.

So she wrapped her arms around Elena's trembling form, suppressing a sigh.

"Elena… I hate saying this but if your love to Damon makes you feel ashamed then you should make it stop right now." Her words sounded harsh and she knew it. She could only hope her words would work.

Elena didn't answer.

"You need to realize we are talking about consenting adults. You, Damon, his brother, his family… all of them left their childhood far behind. What makes you believe they wouldn't be able to handle the truth?" She patted Elena's back gently as she finally let the tension leave her body and her breathing calmed down a bit. "You make things more difficult than they are, in fact."

"Stefan wants me to leave town…" Elena murmured.

"He's not your father and you're not a child anymore. He can't tell you what to do." Katherine said firmly.

Elena gazed into the space for a long minute before letting Katherine's words sink into her brain. The way her sister saw things, made her problems easy to solve. She could do this, it occurred to her.

"You are right. I'm not going to give up on us." She let out a loud sigh and walked to the closet with determination. Pulling out her suitcase, she asked Katherine to help her find some casual articles to wear and much to her surprise, her sister happily agreed.

TVD

Damon drove to the Boarding House whistling. Usually, he met Giuseppe at the breakfast table before his business trips, to go over the details and their plans once more and this day wasn't any exception. He was glad that he called the valet to pack his things for the trip last night and he only needed to remind his secretary to e-mail some documents for him. Things were looking good and everything just played out smoothly.

There was a huge grin plastered over his face as he walked into the parlor where Trevor was already waiting for him and took his car keys from him.

"Your parents are in the dining room, sir." He greeted Damon who nodded in appreciation and headed straight where Giuseppe and Christina were sitting at the breakfast table, having their coffee.

"Morning, ma," he bent down to place a kiss on his mother's cheek before helping himself to a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon. His thoughts were filled with images of Elena and her words still echoed in his mind while he polished the food off of his plate.

"You slept well, son?" She asked tersely and her tone made him look up from his plate. Suddenly, he felt like a teen.

"Why, I did, thanks." He replied casually and fixed his gaze upon his coffee cup.

"You had to sleep really tight." She watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. "I called you at least five times this morning."

Damon glanced at his father but Giuseppe was reading his morning newspaper and didn't seem to pay attention at all. The documents were placed next to him and suddenly, Damon felt eager to finally get his hands on them and get the hell out before something bad happens.

His wishes were never crushed that quickly as on this morning. Before he could speak, Stefan walked into the room, freshly showered and shaved and, much to Damon's surprise, he was smiling. Stefan sported a nice, carefree smile over his features and he looked overall relaxed.

Damon felt the anger boiling in him and filling his veins with rage and adrenaline. All he could see at that moment was Elena's torn look and her bleeding hand from the last night. All he could hear was her broken whisper as she told him about Stefan's threatening words.

He watched Stefan with blazing eyes, unaware of his mother's stare as her eyes flickered back and forth between her sons.

"So what do we have for breakfast today?" Stefan asked jovially, rubbing his hands together.

Damon barely registered his mother's response as the blood was drumming loudly in his ears. He was shocked, to say at least.

Every emotion he kept under control last night while he held Elena in his arms, suddenly exploded in him and he felt it all. The fear that he might have lost her if Stefan were a bit drunk. The unbearable sadness over seeing the most precious doe eyes filled with tears. The agony of feeling her trembling against his body and unable to help…

He couldn't tell later, how it happened, but apparently, he pushed his seat back and it fell against the hardwood floor with a loud thud and scurrying across the room, he pushed Stefan against the wall by his neck, after punching him right in the nose. The images of his blind rage were blurred as well as what kind of words came out of his mouth as he threatened his brother to stay the fuck away from Elena.

He didn't care at that moment that he could have killed Stefan though he let Giuseppe pry his hands away from his brother's neck and the movement gave Stefan an opportunity to return the punch into his stomach. Damon doubled over in pain and it felt like he was going to throw up any second. After taking several calming breaths, he was able to stand up and face his family.

Stefan was standing behind their father, disbelief written all over his face as he held a napkin against his bleeding nose and Giuseppe stood in front of him in order to stop any further fight between his sons.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Christina asked in trembling voice and he locked his gaze with her before turning away.

"I have to go." He said quietly, regaining his self-control. He knew he couldn't make his point with Stefan as well as it felt below him to spill the details in front of their parents. He always left them out of his personal affairs and he wasn't going to start to involve them now. Even if it felt like they should know what his dearest little brother did.

He walked over to Giuseppe's abandoned seat and grabbing the documents he murmured a quiet goodbye and made his way out of the house.

"Not so fast, young man! You owe us an explanation!" Giuseppe's voice made him stop in his tracks. Straightening his shoulders he pivoted and sporting a blank expression, he managed to hide his anger.

"It doesn't concern you, father." His tone was glacial, ready to make the conversation stop right then and there. But this morning wasn't about his wishes, apparently.

"It does since you attacked your own brother under my roof!"

"Well, I'm sorry for that. Now, excuse me," he took an exaggerated glance at his wristwatch, "It's my time to leave. Business trip and all."

Christina watched him knowingly and sadness spread over her features.

"Let it go, Giuseppe." She murmured.

Damon gave her a grateful look and was about to turn and leave when Stefan choose that moment to cut in.

"He fucked Elena!" He yelled loudly, making his mother hiss in response.

"Stefan, language!" She scolded him as if he was a child, as if what he said didn't change their family forever.

Giuseppe watched Damon with disbelief. Somehow, it hurt to see his father's illusions crash, more than anything.

"Is it true?" He said slowly.

Damon didn't respond.

"Answer me. Is. It. True?" Giuseppe raised his voice and Damon blinked.

"It is." He said without regret, glaring at them defiantly.

The silence was almost palpable in the room as Giuseppe kept gaping at his elder son before rubbing his brows with a tired gesture, trying to come up with some response.

"So, let's get this straight. Last time I checked, Elena was engaged to your brother who tolerated your improper behavior towards Elena with an amazing patience. I would have punched my brother the second he laid his eyes on my fiancée in a way you watched Elena." The disappointment was evident in his voice which went both ways; he was disappointed in Stefan that he couldn't keep Elena and there was a deep disappointment in Damon who –until now- never let his emotions rule his world, now failed. "I know I'm usually not at home but I certainly would remember if your mother told me about Elena returning the ring to Stefan."

Christina cleared her throat.

"I found her ring on the chest of drawers in the hallway this morning."

"Good." He nodded to himself and everyone watched him with hawk eyes. "At least she had the decency to do that before…" He was at a loss of finding the right word and when he couldn't come up with anything suitable, he let the sentence hang in the air.

Turning to the cabinet, he took out a crystal tumbler and pouring himself a shot, he gulped it down quickly. Damon gripped the documents in his hand and let the nervousness creep up onto him. Giuseppe drinking in the morning, wasn't a good sign.

Christina's eyes darted around the room, trying to come up with some solution to stop this situation from happening. The fact that she had a silent agreement with Damon and her unsaid acceptance of this secret relationship might make things worse, wasn't lost on her. Focusing her gaze on her husband who was getting worked up made her question her decision to support Damon and Elena.

She'd entertained herself the idea of Giuseppe simply accepting this relationship and things would have evolved from there. But now, watching him, she knew the disaster was peeking at her from the corner of the room. Her heart was going to explode any second. She should have seen this beforehand but frankly, she believed she still had time to think about these things before all hell broke loose. Now it was too late, it occurred to her. She couldn't stop this conversation right now and she felt torn between her sons.

She got the love Stefan felt towards Elena but she wasn't blind. She knew that behind his careless demeanor, Damon truly cared about Elena and he accepted her in a way Stefan never could. As much as it hurt to admit, she rooted for Damon to get Elena.

"You know, I just don't get it, son." He took another gulp from the glass and his cheeks were turning red. "You could have anyone in your bed for entertainment. Hell for what I know, you already had almost everyone in this town."

"Don't exaggerate, Dad." Damon scoffed with a smirk.

"You are a responsible man in business life, son." Giuseppe sighed. "I trust you with my life when it comes to big decisions. Explain to me then, how could this situation happen?"

"I believe I don't have to explain you the dynamics of certain things, father." Damon made an attempt at joking but Giuseppe's expression remained steel hard.

"Enough!" He slammed his glass against the table and Christina flinched. Stefan took a step back as if trying to find a getaway and for the first time in the morning he doubted it was a good idea to involve their parents into this.

He hoped Damon would be scolded for having an affair with Elena but things started to get out of the hand and judging from Giuseppe's hardening expression, this could end very badly. Stefan's gaze flickered towards Damon who just stood there with straight shoulders and knitted brows, ready to take the blow their father was going to deliver. Stefan admired his brother's strength and bravery for a second, before reminding himself what did Damon with Elena.

"Have you thought about what this affair would do to the name of our family, son?" Giuseppe asked, as he tried to compose himself.

"She is not an affair." Damon responded quietly and Giuseppe's head snapped in his direction.

"What did you just say?"

"I said: she's not an affair." He lifted his chin defiantly. He was not going to back down, everyone could feel that.

"Oh, so you finally decided to settle down then? With your brother's fiancée, I might add." Giuseppe said mockingly.

"I don't expect you to understand it."

"What do you want then? I'm curious."

"I want my family to support me."

Christina took a step closer to Damon but her husband's hard stare made her stop.

"Let's say we would have your back. Let's say we all would act like that girl was never our younger son's fiancée. Let's say, your mother wouldn't be kicked out of the Women's Council for this. That people would accept this. But tell me, what the hell would happen once you get bored of her? Once you won't have to sneak behind our backs with her and you suddenly realize you just wanted her because she wasn't yours in the first place to play with?"

"Peppe dear…" Christina cleared her throat, "Maybe we should support his decision…"

"Tell me what would happen then?" He bellowed at her and Damon fists curled into tight balls.

"Don't raise your voice at her." He seethed through gritted teeth. "You are angry with me not her."

"Oh, so suddenly you know what's right and what isn't! So tell me then how on the Earth could this happen?"

"I love her, Dad. That happened." He said quietly and both Stefan and Christina gasped. "You don't have to understand that. You don't have to support me but you should know I won't let her go because you don't approve my relationship with her."

There, he said it and the ball was in his father's court now. Giuseppe's face turned pale and his eyes tightened at the corners.

"You are telling me that I, Giuseppe Salvatore, will have to face my friends knowing that my son is a _scioparto_?" In the rare moments like this, his accent came out as he couldn't contain his indignation. "A ne'er-do-well? An idler who makes no useful contribution to our company?"

If he expected Damon to give in to his harsh words, he was sorely mistaken.

"You have no answer for me then?" Giuseppe took a deep breath and the determination became evident in his tone. "Okay, here's what going to happen. The girl must leave. This infatuation must end." He said quietly, refusing to even say Elena's name. "We can't risk our reputation neither our company being tainted with a scandal like this."

Every word was a blow below the belt and even Stefan felt their father had gone too far.

Stefan was confused. Last night he was drunk and almost killed Elena in his rage. He vaguely remembered that he even threatened her and told her to leave the town. It sounded like a good idea last night. He wanted to erase every single memory that bound him to her and to take his revenge on Damon for every little detriment of the past. But now…

The only thing he felt was shame and embarrassment. He knew, they all knew where Giuseppe was heading with his speech and Stefan started to feel guilty for his stupid outburst. He should have dealt with the situation like a man, maybe in a fist fight in the backyard…

"What happens if I refuse to cooperate?" Damon inquired in a polite tone. He was in his business mode where his emotions and opinions were pushed into the background of his mind and steel hard logic and sharp words took their place.

"I'm afraid you'd have to quit the company and leave this house then." Giuseppe replied in equally polite and friendly voice. "But I don't want to rush you into this decision. I want you to go and negotiate the new contract with the Mikaelsons in Chicago and I dare to advise you to use your time there to think about what you can gain and lose with your either of your decisions."

The only thing that betrayed the hurt was Damon's hand as he clutched the document more tightly, his knuckles turning white with the effort. He turned his gaze to his mother impassively.

"What are_ your_ terms of letting me stay your son, mother?" His voice was eerily quiet and detached and every word was tearing Christina's heart apart from the inside. She knew she had to be loyal to her family and the name they were so proud of… but what was the Salvatore name worth if she was going to lose her son in advance to keep the family's portrait of perfection intact?

She couldn't pour her emotions into words. Her eyes welled up as she hurried over to hug Damon tightly and Damon's body felt tense and rigid in her arms.

"I love you, son." She whispered into his chest, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm going to be your mother no matter who and what you chose in your life."

She slowly let him go and watched Damon pivoting on his heel and left the house without a word.

TVD

Elena took a last quick glance at the clock on the kitchen wall and she was starting to feel nervous. Damon was late; in fact, he was 20 minutes late and she was afraid he changed his mind about their trip. Her fingers tapped against the kitchen island impatiently and biting her lip all she wanted was to call Damon and cancel everything. But one sharp look from Katherine stopped her.

Their suitcases stood neatly at the door and they both were dressed in a similar attire; jeans and tops, Katherine in burgundy and Elena in navy colored one.

"He's not going to come…" She croaked in disappointment when another five minutes passed. The coffee mug in front of her was empty and she desperately wanted to have another one.

"Shut up." Katherine didn't bother to look at her as her eyes were scanning the road from the window.

"I'm going to call him." Elena jumped down from the stool but before she could reach into her handbag, Damon's car pulled in front of the house and a several second later they heard him shutting the door and his footsteps on the stairs. Elena was at the door before he could use his key and opened the door for him.

She gasped at the sight of him once their gazes locked. His hair was tousled and his eyes looked stormy like he was going to cry any second.

"Damon… what happened?" She whispered and traced his features with her fingers little. Katherine walked up behind her and watched them with concern.

He didn't say a word. He watched her intently as if trying to come up with some suitable reply. He opened his mouth to speak but no word came out. He leaned into her touch though, letting the warmth of her palm seep into his skin.

Elena's heart sank.

"They know, right?" She asked in a small voice and all he could do was to nod.

Her mind started to race and her hands became clammy as her palm fell from his face. He watched her with an unreadable expression, his fists in tight balls on his sides. When he spoke, his voice was eerily quiet.

"We need to talk."

**A/N**

**Scioparto:**** 1. not nice 2. rude and disrespectful to other people 3. opposite of nice 4. cruel 5. harsh through words or actions**.


	16. Chapter 16

**This chapter is betad by Joyce who's a great friend. **

**CHAPTER 16**

"We need to talk."

The words were hanging in the air surrounding them with a dramatic atmosphere and Elena felt like all blood left her body.

"Damon…" She started to speak but he waved at her dismissively.

"Not here. We need to get the fuck out of this town first." He said authoritatively and not waiting for her answer, he grabbed the two suitcases a hurried out of the house.

Elena turned to Katherine with a worrying look but her sister just shrugged in response, rolling her eyes. Clearly, she thought Damon was overdramatizing things.

Elena tried to compose herself as they left the house and she locked the door. Katherine opened the door to the backseats and Elena climbed in after her. She'd much rather sit next to Damon but she didn't dare to ask him; he seemed so angry and sad at the same time and as much as she tried to maintain some hope, it was obvious that something really bad happened at the Salvatore mansion.

Damon frowned at her choice of seat but said nothing. Starting the engine, he pulled out of the lot and drove in silence for hours. Eventually, he turned on the radio and Katherine occupied herself playing on her cell phone but Elena couldn't tear her eyes from him. She saw only his profile and made an attempt to gauge his thoughts but it was a useless mission. His face gave nothing away, nothing more than irritation and resignation. His suit jacket was thrown haphazardly next to him and he rolled up the sleeves of his white button up shirt and rested his hand on the center console. Elena's gaze skimmed across his muscular forearm and all she could think about how good he felt under her fingers; how strong and powerful he was when their bodies molded into each other…

She swallowed as desire shot right through her when she recalled the feeling of him inside her. Her nipples stood in attention and she was glad no one watched her at that moment. She pulled at her shirt to hide the hard peaks and felt embarrassed. Squirming in her seat, she felt the wetness pooling between her thighs as her gaze fell on his full lips, remembering the skillful sweet torture he'd given her nether regions just two days before. Heat crawled onto her face which spread over her chest and leaning back, she hoped no one saw what was happening to her.

It was Damon, for God's sake, why was she suddenly feeling like this about him? She could always hide her bodily reactions to him when he was close. Why couldn't she do the same now, why had her body have this insane response to him right now, in the most inappropriate moment? She never considered herself as a wanton woman. For her, sex was always something pleasant and nice. She rarely fantasized about Stefan in the daylight while she was his girlfriend and fiancée.

But Damon… he could light her insides up like fire with one single look. Even if he did nothing spectacular, she was always drawn to him. She filled her sketchbook with drawings of his eyes, his hands, his muscular back… she loved every part of him and never got bored of the sound of his voice and the way he used to look at her.

He made her feel alive and wanted. Oh, what would she willing to give just to have his talented fingers all over her body…

Rubbing her thighs together subtly, she tried to ease the tension in her but her as her clit sprung to life again, she didn't know how to tame those sinful thoughts anymore. Her eyes fluttered closed and wild images of her and Damon displayed in her mind, imagining their bodies hot and sweaty against each other, on every surface imaginable. She could almost feel his skilled fingers gliding up and down on the long expanse of her throat, making her skin erupt in goose bumps.

"Oh, Damon…"

Imagining his hot lips against her neck, she could see herself grabbing his hand and glide it along her breast, down on her ribcage and belly until she'd let his hand rest on her hip. He would certainly take the hint and grip her panties with his fist, only to tear it into shreds, before burying his fingers deep inside her…

"Elena…" He would groan next to her ear and she would whimper his name in response…

"Oh, Damon more…" She sighed happily.

"Elena!" Her name sounded more insistently and this time, she was sure it wasn't Damon who called her name. It sounded more like Katherine… but what the hell was Katherine doing in her dream? And why was someone shaking her shoulder like crazy?

Her eyes popped open and she was mortified when it occurred to her that she wasn't in bed with Damon and most definitely, he wasn't kissing and pleasuring her. They were still sitting in his car, though the scenery around them changed. As she looked around, she saw they were parking next to a hotel in Chicago and Katherine was shaking her shoulder to wake her up.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." She mumbled almost incoherently and was happy that Damon and Katherine couldn't read her mind and dreams. Though, as she took a look at her sister's face, she wasn't so sure. Katherine was smirking at her knowingly and Damon looked more conflicted than ever.

Oh… what could she possibly say in her dream? Her face flared up with a lovely shade of crimson as she recalled her dream and straightening her shoulder, she rubbed her eyes.

"Where are we?"

"It's my place, sister." She waved over to the fancy looking building with Schwartzchild written over the entrance. Katherine used to stay there frequently and she still kept her good connections with the owner. "I'm staying here until I find out what to do with myself." Katherine grinned at her and suddenly, Elena felt remorseful. As much as her sister was a pain in the ass, Elena was going to miss her.

"Do you need some money?" She said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Nah, I'm good." She gave Elena a cryptically look and she didn't dare to ask how came that Katherine suddenly wasn't tight on money. It was one of the many faces of Katherine and Elena was sure some things better didn't have to be stirred.

Elena climbed out of the car and stood there awkwardly when Damon went to open the booth to take out Katherine's things.

"So… um… take care." It felt odd to say goodbye to her sister and she was surprised when Katherine pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you for putting up with me…" She whispered into Elena's neck before letting her go. Grabbing her suitcase, she moved towards the entrance of the hotel and waved at them. "Have fun with… _ohh-Damon-more!_" She yelled laughing and Elena turned beet red in embarrassment.

She didn't dare to peek at Damon and grabbed the door handle of the car.

"I thought you'd take your seat next to me." Damon's voice was deep and lifting her gaze, she felt shocked by the intensity of his gaze but slid onto the passenger's seat without any complaint. Once they were seated in his car, he reached over to pull the seatbelt over her body, his hand accidentally brushing against her breasts and she gasped at the sensation. The erotic dream still drove her senses high and her skin felt overly sensitive at the moment.

Damon stopped mid-motion and turned his impossibly blue eyes to her, raising one of his brows questioningly.

The car filled up with tension and suddenly, both of them became aware of the fact that they were utterly alone in a small space and no one in Chicago knew who they were and how they were related to each other. Damon's finger traced her jawline gently, before pulling away and Elena let out the breath she wasn't even aware she held while he was close to her.

She didn't know what to say and Damon still looked like he wasn't going to be talkative soon. She felt weird; they never had a problem before to talk about. But it was all before they stepped over the threshold of their friendship.

"Are we really doing this?" She heard herself to speak and Damon turned his look to her startled as they pulled into the parking lot under the hotel.

"Doing what?"

"This silent treatment you are giving me." She said with a fire in her eyes. "I thought we were close enough to discuss everything that comes our way."

"Things changed." He responded with a pained look and before she could say anything, he was out of the car and she had no choice but to follow him.

They checked in and the bellboy took their belongings and led them into the elevator and they took the ride up to the 32th floor in awkward silence. Once they reached their destination, the bellboy walked them to the suite 325 and after giving them the two golden entry cards, Damon tipped him and the boy left. Elena glanced around, only to see they were staying at one of those most luxurious hotel rooms she only saw in the movies. She walked to the floor to ceiling window and gazed down onto the city which was displayed underneath them.

"So, what's the deal?" She asked, turning back to Damon who remained standing at the door and watched her with a tormented look.

"There's nothing." His voice sounded empty, hollow even.

_Nothing. _

The word sounded so final. Determined. Like a closed case.

Their gazes locked and something snapped in her.

"Forget it." She seethed and grabbing her suitcase, she started to walk out of the room. She was fed up with all of this and she was determined to call Jeremy and leave everything behind.

Her eyes welled up and she was utterly disappointed as she made her way out to the hallway and Damon didn't stop her. So this was the end. Clutching her chest, she didn't know how to articulate her feelings for herself inside as she pressed the button of the elevator.

He was letting her go. She was sure his family gave him an ultimatum and Damon was choosing them above her. It hurt more than she was willing to admit to herself.

But then, just as the elevator door opened, a pair of strong arms grabbed her waist from behind and before she could protest, Damon hauled her over his shoulder and carried her back into the room. He put her down and ordering her to stay there, he disappeared, only to return with her suitcase she left at the elevator, a few seconds later.

She watched him with wide eyes as he shut the door behind his back and taking three long strides across the room, he was standing in front of her. He watched her with a look as if questioning his own sanity. He raked his fingers across his hair, trying to find the right words.

"Damon, what's wrong?" Her voice was full of concern.

"The wrong thing is… that I…" He trailed off, hating himself that he couldn't put his shit together.

He had no problems to closing a deal with the biggest sharks in the business world with a polite smile on his face. His hand never trembled before when he had to do something unpleasant or making someone feel uncomfortable in the office or in the court. And now here he was, feeling like an awkward teen boy who couldn't form a coherent sentence in front of the beloved girl. Cursing under his breath, he inhaled and exhaled deeply several times, until he was calm enough to turn back to Elena, looking straight in her eyes.

"I want you to tell me one thing, Elena." He said in a low tone, his eyes wide and scared.

"Anything, Damon." She gave him a tentative, sweet smile and his insides melted. There was no way he could resist her if she looked at him like this.

"Why do you love me?" His voice trembled a bit but he hoped she hadn't noticed.

"What?" She was taken aback. Of all things, she never'd have guessed he was going to ask this question.

"Is it my about my eyes, my amazing bed skills or whatever shit women come up these days?" He asked in an almost unaffected tone. Almost.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" Her innocent, confused question made him snap and he wanted to yell out of the frustration that was tearing him apart from inside.

"I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the selfish one. I take what I want, I do what I want. I lie to my brother, I fall in love with his girl… I don't to the right thing!" He yelled at her and Elena's heart squeezed painfully as she observed him. He was clearly upset and torn between his family and his love for Elena.

"You want me to name all things binding me to you, Damon?" She asked quietly.

Having his full attention, she took a step closer, feeling braver than before.

"I'm not going into details and big confessions, I'm sorry. I'm not going to talk about all those things we did together. I don't know if we made the right decision to give into this feeling." Storms clouded his eyes as she said it. "But one thing I know for sure. I want you. Not just your body. I want the whole package. The flaws, the jerk moves, the witty comebacks. If I could just to sit next to you and listen to the jigsaw as you work on a new piece of furniture, I'd be the happiest woman in this world."

She walked closer to him, until their chests touched and she took his hand in hers. The warmth seeped from her palm into his cold one and his rigid body started to slowly relax.

"This morning I wanted to run away and to never look back; but Katherine stopped me. You know what she said?" His gaze locked with hers and with a tiny movement he shook his head. He was completely enthralled by her and couldn't move. "She said we are adults. And she was right. We are responsible for what we had tamed. I know how I feel. And I take the full responsibility for loving you."

"Would you love me even if I wasn't loaded? Or if I wasn't the top gun lawyer at my father's company?"

Elena gaped at him incredulously.

"First time I saw you, I _thought_ you were an employee of Stefan's yet I felt drawn to you." She took a deep breath. "Tell me the last time I demanded you buy me something expensive or to take me to a fancy place to eat. It was my sister who was interested in your money more than in you, not me!"

"So you are telling me that even if I didn't take you to the presidential suite of this hotel, you'd love me the same? If suddenly I lost my status and the support of my family… you'd still love me? Even if I had to work as any other hard working labourer in this country?"

"I'd follow you barefoot and heavily pregnant." She cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

He watched her silently, suddenly picturing her with rounded belly, carrying his child and his insides reacted instantly. He became rock hard within seconds and before any of them could do or say something, his hand shot out and pulled her into a hard, almost punishing kiss, holding her tight until she started to respond with her lips. They kissed frantically, pouring every pent up frustration into their kiss as their tongues met, exploring, and savoring each other.

"Damon, wait…" She pulled away panting but he grabbed her neck and yanked her against his mouth and started to kiss her like his life depended on it and didn't let her go until every thought vanished from her brain.

Her body buzzed with life and her nipples hardened when he started to rub her breasts through the fabric of her shirt and bra. Within seconds Damon had her against the wall, his lips descending from hers, just to place fevered kisses along her chin to her ear where he played with her earlobe with his tongue, making her head spin with desire. She clawed at his shirt, unbuttoning it deftly so her fingers could dig into the smooth skin of his toned chest and groaning, he bit down on her earlobe in response.

Her head fell back against the wall before he ripped her t-shirt over her head and dragging his tongue down her throat, eliciting a moan from her. Following the swell of her breast with his nose, he kissed her nipple through the lacey white bra, stimulating the peak into a hardened bud, sweeping his tongue back and forth before sucking at the heated flesh hard. Nipping at her bottom lip, she arched into his mouth, grabbing his head to keep him there. His hands went slowly around hers and prying her fingers from his scalp, he fell to his knees.

His fingers played with the elastic of her panties while he kissed her over her stomach and hips, dipping his tongue into her belly button before he dragged her underwear down on her legs. She stood bare before him the way she never stood in front of any other man. He found her beautiful, she knew it; his eyes were filled with adoration and smoldering passion.

Leaning closer, he pushed her legs apart and pulled one of her thighs over his shoulder watching with rapt fascination as the most intimate part of her body opened in front of his hungry eyes. Spreading her lower lips gently, he placed a kiss on her clit and her knees buckled under the weight of raw passion. He swirled his tongue around the sensitive flesh, making her moan and claw her fingers against the wall as she tried to steady herself.

She tasted so good and he was amazed by the fact how receptive she was to his touches; no one ever responded to him like this before.

He resumed his ministrations on her tender flesh until he felt her shudder as her body prepared for the completion and he sucked her clit deep into his mouth while he slid one of his fingers inside her wet heat and rubbed that little spot inside.

"Damon!" She screamed from the top of her lungs as her body started to quake with the force of her orgasm, sending shockwaves of pleasure over her. She mumbled incoherent words while the colorful plethora of emotions flickered behind her closed eyelids as her orgasm seemed to go on forever. She barely registered that he gently placed her leg onto the floor and gracefully rose to his feet again. Her eyes fluttered open and she pulled him into a fiery kiss as she worked on his belt and zipper with ferocity and didn't stop until he was set free and his hardness pointed at her proudly.

Stepping closer, he rubbed his cock against her wet slit before palming her ass and lifted her up a little. Pressing her back against the wall, he slowly slid himself inside while his eyes never left her face, watching every flicker of emotion and pleasure displaying there. Elena's head tipped back and fell against the wall when he started to move in and out of her. This position allowed him to go deeper and she never felt this full before. Wrapping her thighs around his hips she felt completely at Damon's mercy. His hands were practically trapped underneath her, holding her up, but it didn't mean she couldn't touch him.

The sweat started to heat up between them and she leaned closer to capture his parted lips with hers while her hands traced the muscles of his shoulders which were straining with effort against her palms. She let her fingers trace an invisible line along his toned chest, circling her finger lightly around his nipple, eliciting a groan from him. Their quiet moans and whimpers filled the room and when he was sure they wouldn't fall, he freed one of his hands only to lightly pinch her nipple. Her response was immediate, she tensed in his arms and her body was begging him for release. He doubled his efforts, hitting her so perfectly that her body contracted around him and prying her lips from his, she panted loudly.

"Damon…" She wheezed his name when his fingers ventured lower to where their bodies were joined and pressing his thumb against her clit, he watched with fascination of falling her apart in his arms. Her walls squeezed and released him rhythmically until he couldn't hold on any longer and yelling her name, he came deep inside her.

His head rested in the crook of her neck while her fingers remained entangled with the dark curls at the nape of his neck. She loved his hair and for a second she wondered if they'd have kids in the future, who it would look like. She could vividly picture a blue eyed baby flashing a dazzling toothless smile at her, a pair of little fists pulling at her hair…

The thought shocked the hell out of her and her body went rigid in his arms.

"What?" He turned his sleepy gaze at her and her insides melted once again as she stared into his endless blue eyes.

"I'm cold. And I need a shower." Unbearable sadness settled over her as he let her slowly go, slipping out of her heat.

"Bathroom is over there, at the end of the hallway." He said quietly, feeling helpless. Something'd upset her, it was clear to him but he couldn't figure out what it was. Stepping out of his useless pants and boxers, he bent down to retrieve their discarded clothes. The shower started to run a few seconds later and it sounded like… she was sobbing in there?

He shot out after her, not bothering with knocking on the door. There she was, behind the glass wall of the shower. It looked like she slid down onto the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. The hot water created a fog in there but it was clear to him that she was crying.

Pushing the glass door open, he climbed inside and kneeling in front of her, he placed his hand on her wet hair tentatively.

"Elena… talk to me, please…"

She shook her head and he didn't know what to do next. He let her be while he quickly washed himself under the hot spray of water and then reached out for her hand.

"Stand up, love." It looked like she would cry harder at the endearment but finally, she gave in and let him pull her up. Lathering her body up with the expensive shower gel, he gently kneaded the tense muscles of her shoulder blades. She let him wash her hair and the tension slowly let go of her body.

They toweled themselves dry in silence, their gazes locking and averting in confusion. She went to the bed and though it was only afternoon, she felt so tired that without a word, she crawled beneath the soft silky sheets, naked. All she wanted was to sleep until every confusing and painful thought left her brain. Seconds later, the bed dipped behind her when Damon joined her in the bed. Wrapping her in his arms, he placed a tiny kiss on the nape of her neck before pressing his body against her naked back. The feeling was so exquisite that she let out a contented sigh, scooting closer to him.

"Don't you have to be at some business meeting this afternoon?" She asked with a yawn and he smiled into her hair.

"They canceled the meeting so we only have to attend a party at eight p.m..."

"We?" She made an attempt to turn in his arms but he only enveloped her tighter, effectively stopping her from moving. It felt too good being this close to her and he felt sleepy too.

"Yup." He suppressed a yawn. "Black tie and champagne. It's going to be boring as hell. I'm glad they let us bring a plus one otherwise I'd skip the whole event."

"How do you know if I have a little black dress with me?" She teased him.

"You let Katherine pack your things?" She nodded. "Then don't worry. I'm sure she packed something nice for you."

He reached over to find her hand, intertwining their fingers, reveling in the silence that surrounded them. He almost fell asleep but a thought wouldn't let him be.

"Do you want to tell me why you were crying?"

"It's silly." She whispered and Damon rolled her over and they became face to face.

"Nothing is silly when it comes to you." He said firmly. "Tell me… I want to know."

"It's just…" She averted her gaze embarrassed.

"Elena." He placed his forefinger under her chin, tipping her face back to his. She felt like a deer in the spotlight under his penetrating stare. It was impossible to lie to him when he looked at her like this.

"For a second I imagined what our kids would look like…" She whispered finally and Damon's heart skipped with joy. He never pictured himself as a father or husband but with Elena, he was more than ready to take that route. However, her next words felt like a cold shower to his senses. "And then it occurred to me that your family probably gave you an ultimatum. I think they told you to choose between me and your family. Knowing your father, I bet he threw even your career into the game. And for a brief second it hurt like hell to imagine there's practically no future for you and me."

"Elena…" It hurt to see her like this; like she'd already given up the fight for the two of them.

"Let me finish." She placed her fingertip over his lips. "They made you choose, right?"

"They did." There was no point in lying to her. "But I refused to play their game. They need to understand it's my life and I live it as I please. I'm not breaking any law by loving you." He placed a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose. "But I don't want them to ruin my time with you. Let's take one step at a time and then we'll see where it would lead us."

"Baby steps… I like it." She whispered against his lips before he kissed her. Desire shot through them like lightning as they let the passion take the rule over them once again and their bodies joined in an intimate hold, holding onto the hope, they believed, anchored their present to the future.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for the long wait girls, my life is more than hectic at this moment.**

**This chapter is betad by Joyce. :) **

**CHAPTER 17**

"So tell me again, why is this party so important to you?" Elena asked Damon while they were both sitting in the back of a shiny black limousine. He spent the past twenty minutes of their ride going over the documents and she was bored. She decided to break the silence.

"I need to meet there someone." He murmured, not looking up from his papers in his lap.

"Damon!" She kicked his shoe with hers to get his attention. "Talk to me or I'm out."

"Okay." He lowered the papers, finally meeting her gaze. "You know how I told you about the importance of this merger between our companies." She nodded. "The fact is that I have a bad feeling about it. So far, we haven't met any of the Mikaelsons', only their lawyer who floods us with paperwork and by-laws, but nothing what we could hold onto. I don't want to put our company into jeopardy so I decided to take a further look into things. Father was ready to agree with me but Steffie planted doubts in his head about my ambitions to take over the company."

Elena wasn't surprised; she knew about the rivalry between the brothers.

"This means that naturally, Stefan wants the merger to keep me out of the game. He knows once our company merges with the Mikaelsons', I won't get a chance to become the head of Salvatore Inc."

"Do you want that position?" She asked quietly, fidgeting.

"I thought so. I dreamed about becoming the CEO of the company since I was a kid, but lately…" He gazed at her with passion and love, "Let's say that my plans changed, regarding my future."

Blush creeped upon her face at his admission and before he could say anything else, she hurled herself over to him to capture his lips with a kiss.

"What was that for?" He rasped with a smirk after their lips parted, playing with a strand of her curls.

"It was a kiss, silly." She rolled her eyes at him before she pulled away, tugging her dress back into its place.

Their playful banter continued until they reached their destination, a hotel where the party was held at top floor.

"Are you hungry?" He asked once their coats were taken by the valet and they entered the place which was already filled with people, music and laughter. She nodded and he led her to the buffet. After they filled their plates with food, Damon scanned the crowd with his gaze.

"Who are you looking for?" She asked after swallowing the first delicious bite of her meal.

"A guy named Silas. I caught a glance of his name in Shane's documents and I believe I can get more information about him… maybe tonight, if I'm lucky enough."

"And why do you need me here?" She couldn't hide her nervousness and her eyes darted around to see familiar faces. She was so used to hide her feelings for Damon that she found it hard to relax while his hand was touching hers with a newfound intimacy.

He turned his impossibly blue eyes back at her, offering her a glass of champagne which she took gladly from him. She downed the drink in a very unlady-like manner in a hope that it would calm her nerves.

"I just want to spend a nice evening with you." He replied simply, before pulling her to the dance floor.

They moved with finesse they'd practiced over the years of their friendship. She felt relaxed in his arms and giggled when he spun her around only to yank her back to his body. Their chests collided and heat started to build up between them as he let his hand slide down on the small of her back. She let out a gasp against his lips as he pulled her hips closer until she could feel the evidence of his desire towards her against her belly.

"I still can't believe we can do this freely without being judged…" Their lips were barely touching as he spoke, making her skin tingle wherever he touched her.

"No one knows who we are…" She found herself smiling with the truth in her words. The thought of not being watched by a whole town for once made her feel carefree and happy.

"So can we pretend that we are married and expecting our fifth kid?" He placed a kiss on her lips.

"Do I look fat?" She pouted and he let out a laugh.

"You are perfect, Elena…" She raised her brow in doubt and his expression got serious. "I wouldn't change a thing on your body. "

She gave him the sweetest smile and let her head fall onto his chest, inhaling his intoxicating smell. She felt peaceful and though they were out in the public, she found the moment intimate and romantic. Tracing his fingers over her spine, he let the tension leave his body as they simply enjoyed each other's proximity. He felt warm and loved in her embrace and the strange feeling of protectiveness surged over him as he held her in his arms.

The song they swayed to came to an end and he led her to the seats.

"I need to find the ladies' room." She excused herself with an apologetic smile.

"I'm going to look for Shane then. I'll meet you at the bar, okay?" He pulled her hand to his lips with affection.

Elena walked to the ladies' room with a dazzled smile playing at her lips. She touched her make-up after taking a look in the mirror when a familiar voice tore her out of her thoughts.

"You put up a nice show out there, sister." Katherine's voice was laced with her usual sarcasm, making Elena spin around until they faced each other.

"What are you doing here?" She took in Katherine's designer dress and the heavy make-up she wore.

"I told you I can take care of myself." She smirked at her. "I know which _friend _to turn to when in need." Her tone made it clear what kind of friendship she had on her mind.

"Who…?" She was stunned to see the same Katherine who looked so lost this afternoon and now she was standing there like she belonged to the place… like she wasn't without money and home.

"You'd never guess… Elijah Mikaelson." She shrugged like it was the most natural thing for her.

"Isn't he the brother of the other Mikaelson who ruined your career and kicked you out of your house?" She asked with disbelief while Katherine reapplied the lipstick on her lips.

"Yup."

"And?"

"And what?" Her tone was indifferent, almost bored. "They are not even on speaking terms."

"Isn't it going to cause a problem with his family?"

"Like you aren't in the same position, sister." Katherine chuckled making her hung her head in shame. "Hey, I'm not judging you…" She touched Elena's shoulder. "So tell me what brought you two lovebirds to this party?"

"Damon wants to meet a guy named Silas." She responded honestly and Katherine's eyes widened with a gasp; this was the first true emotion she showed since they'd met that night.

"You said, Silas?" All teasing was gone from her face and she looked dead serious.

"Yes."

"Why on Earth does Damon want to meet Silas?"

"I don't know… something about the companies merging and he's got information about this guy being the brain behind of the entire operation."

Katherine looked like she was sick as she leaned against the counter.

"What's wrong?" Elena studied her face with growing anxiety.

"Are you sure you've heard right?" Katherine asked slowly.

"Now you are making me scared. Do you want to share what's going on?"

Katherine's gaze darted around the empty room, before landing her eyes on Elena.

"Have I ever told you how Klaus found out about my little trick against him?" Her voice was barely audible. Elena shook her head. "He hacked into my computer."

"What does this have to do with this Silas guy?" Elena asked in the same hushed tone though she wasn't sure why she was following Katherine in this.

"The thing is…" Katherine took a deep breath and leaning closer, she whispered right into her ear. "Silas is not a _who_ but a _what._"

Elena gave her a questioning look and Katherine pulled her back.

"_Silas_ is a masterfully created program by a prodigy. It can hack even into the computers with the safest firewalls. Silas steals your identity, uses your passwords, your typical answers and just when you are about to find out what's happening, he changes his tactics until he brings the company to its knees… it's like some artificial intelligence though there's one single mind operating from the background…"

"Klaus created Silas?" Elena mouthed at her.

Katherine shook her head.

"Then who…?"

"Shane. I bet the Salvatores never wondered how he could come up with the perfect offer and solution for their company." She said cryptically.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I don't want Damon to walk into Klaus' trap." She replied simply. "This will be my little revenge on him."

"But…" Elena felt puzzled. "How can you be with his brother when you know what he is capable of?"

"Elijah wants to wait for the right moment and find proof against him… and maybe Damon could help us with it."

Elena watched her sister, not even surprised that once again, Katherine was a step ahead of her.

"Now you tell me it's a coincidence we've met here." She said and Katherine only shrugged in response, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I hope you are going to use this information to save the Salvatores. And be careful, Shane is a very smart guy." She pulled Elena into a hug before leaving the room so quickly that Elena wondered whether she'd only imagined this whole weird conversation with her sister.

Strolling back to the ballroom, she could easily spot Damon as he was engaged in a heated conversation with Shane at the balcony. Anger seeped through her veins, recalling Katherine's words and straightening her shoulders, she filed through the crowd quickly and didn't stop until she was standing in front of him.

"Can I steal my boyfriend for a dance?" She forced a polite smile on her lips and Shane gave her a strange look before his gaze fell onto her hand resting on Damon's forearm in a possessive gesture.

"Of course," His smile didn't reach his eyes and pulled out his cell phone. "I need to catch a call anyway."

She took Damon by his hand and led him on the dance floor.

"We were in an important conversation, Elena, so you better have a good reason for interrupting us." He pulled her against him with flashing eyes.

Elena let her head fall against his shoulder and her gaze caught Shane's as he was talking into his phone. Her fingers ventured up on his back to intertwine with the soft locks on the nape of his neck.

"Listen to me carefully…" She started.

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In case you wonder, I stole the idea of Falcon from Revenge (abc tv-show) to create Silas. :)


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter was betad by my friend Joyce who listened to my crazy happy ramblings about the se04 finale with a patient smile… I just can't believe they let DE happen… I'm just happy. **

**And here is my happy little present for you. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER 18

"Mr. Salvatore." Elijah Mikaelson greeted Damon with a reserved expression.

Damon nodded at him with equally guarded features as he stepped aside to let Elijah stroll into the parlor of the suite. Elena rose from her seat to greet him with a weak smile.

"Ms. Gilbert, I believe you have a lot to catch up with your sister." Elijah gestured towards her apologetically. "Katherine is waiting at the bar to meet you for a coffee downstairs."

Giving a tentative look to Damon, they nodded in silent agreement before she left the suite.

"Was it really necessary to send her away?" Damon demanded.

"I'm sure you understand this is a kind of a… sensitive subject." Elijah replied before making himself comfortable at the desk, without being even invited in. Pulling out a file folder from his briefcase he made it clear he wasn't there for a friendly chat.

"You used my girlfriend to deliver me your message so I think it's a bit late to be cryptical about it. Anyway, can I offer you a drink?"

"Bourbon with ice, thanks." Elijah said with an unnerving smile.

Damon poured himself a drink too before turning back to Elijah.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Elijah asked after taking a gulp from his drink.

"I agree. Last night my girlfriend said something truly unbelievable and left me wondering whether the whole Silas thing is true or it's a trap."

"You doubt my message was sent to help you?" Elijah leaned back against the back of the sofa with an almost amused smirk. "I think I don't have to explain you that we share interest in dating the Gilbert sisters…"

"Honestly, I don't see any reason why would you help my company of all." He brushed Elijah's sly comment aside, deciding to ignore what he said about Elena and Katherine.

Elijah watched him speculatively, rolling the amber coloured liquid in his glass in a slow motion.

"I'd get suspicious too if I was in your position, Mr. Salvatore." He set the glass on the conference table and reached out to open the file folder for Damon. "Nevertheless, I suggest you to take a look into these papers to see I'm telling the truth."

Damon took the papers from him and studied document after document in silence.

"What are these?" He asked after a long pause.

"These are the statements of those people who were screwed over by my brother." Damon raised his brow at the profanity Elijah used.

"What does this have to do with my company? This proves nothing." He folded his arms over his chest. "For as far as I know the business world, - and believe me, I've met some real shit since I became a lawyer, - there's nothing I haven't seen before, so allow me to doubt your words. These people might be as well as pissed at Klaus for not going with the plans they'd made before the mergers, after getting their money from him. He isn't breaking any rule. Those people probably failed at going through the by-laws thoroughly… which never happens when I'm the one to close the deal."

"I see now why does your father trust you with his company." Elijah smirked. "You're young, arrogant and so full of yourself that you don't even care what people think of your affair with your own brother's fiancée. But even you can make a mistake which you will if you let some important details escape your attention because of your infatuation with that girl." He finished as a matter of factly.

Damon took a deep breath, contemplating his next step. Obviously, he underestimated Elijah Mikaelson and the guy was soft and polite only on the surface. He used every bit of information in his favor and for a second, Damon admired him for it.

"Let's say I believe you are telling me the truth." He broke the silence that settled heavily over them. "The question is why would you help me?"

"Unless there's a legal proof against Klaus, I can't do a thing."

"This doesn't answer my question." Damon's tone was almost bored and Elijah let a smirk tug at his lips. He knew this game all too well and he was willing to play along.

"Your company…"

"My _father's_ company is just one in the long line of those knocking on the door of the Mikaelson's." He narrowed his gaze in suspicion. "How many representatives have you tried to convince before me?"

"Six." Elijah replied simply.

"It means you tried six times to bring down _your _own brother, right?" He threw Elijah's words back to his face with a cold smirk. He was getting under Elijah's skin and he enjoyed it. "And you expect me to believe you want to save me and my father's company because of… what?"

"Because he ruined the woman I love!"

"That's a really silly motive coming from a serious businessman like you." Damon scoffed cynically before straightening his shoulders and suddenly, all teasing was gone from his face. "Tell me what's the real reason behind your actionswhat the real reason behind your actions is or get out and don't waste my time with this bullshit."

It took Elijah only a few seconds to compose himself before he reached into his briefcase to pull out another file folder.

"These are the reports of the dates and documents of my company that were infiltrated by _Silas _in the past two years." He tossed the papers on the conference table but Damon didn't make an attempt to take a look at them. He actually looked bored, while the gears in his brain were working like crazy.

"Now I get it." Damon let out a humourlesshumorless laugh. "All this philanthropic shit you pulled is only to cover the truth that Klaus is now coming after you. And since you are his family, his lawyers could forbid you or anyone else in your family to testify against him at the court. As it turns out, you need my help as well as I supposedly need yours."

Elijah finished his drink in two long gulps with his eyes downcast.

"Are you going to help me?"

"Give me a reason to. And don't try to play on my feelings for Elena or Katherine. I need facts and the truth." He placed his glass on the table and reached for the papers. "And just to be clear, if I'm going into this, I won't do it to save your company or to help you to take revenge on your brother. I'm doing it to save those who are important to me."

"You are pushing your luck, Mr. Salvatore."

"I have nothing to looselose. Right now, I can just walk away from the whole contract without suffering any legal harm." Damon was clearly uninterested. "I'm not obligated to help you in any way. You can go to the CEO of the next company which is going to be targeted by your brother and I can hire some first class computer prodigies to protect us. If this is all you got, you are knocking on the wrong door."

He stood up and walked to the mini bar for another drink.

"Do you want a refill before you go, Mr. Mikaelson?" He raised the bottle in his hand towards Elijah in a friendly manner.

When he didn't get an answer, he slowly turned around, only to see Elijah glaring at him.

"Okay. Tell me what you want in return, Salvatore." He said through gritted teeth.

Damon didn't contemplate his answer for too long.

"I want you to land me one of your clients."

"Which one?" Elijah's expression was pure disinterest, like he'd already known that their conversation would turn out like this.

"The Pierce Steel Works."

Elijah took a step back, studying Damon's face to find some hint that he was joking.

"You can't be serious. The Pierce's is our most important business partner. It would be a too big bite for the Salvatore's."

"All right." Damon swallowed his drink down and placed the crystal tumbler next to him with an impassive stare. "I believe, this conversation is over then. I'll see you out, Mr. Mikaelson."

Elijah collected his papers in silence and strolled toward the entrance. Damon opened the door for him and expected him to leave but all of a sudden, Elijah's steps halted at the tresholdthreshold.

"You don't get it, do you, Salvatore?" Elijah whisper yelled at him. "This is not just a stupid game!"

"You don't get it, Mikaelson!" Damon regarded him with an icy cold stare. "You just proved to me that I can't trust your family with my company. The Salvatore Inc. is not going to join the Mikaelson's empire. I don't think you are that slow that you can't put two and two together. Without this merger, my father's company is going down. Which means, in nutshell, that since I'm going to lose my job soon, I don't give a shit what you think of me and my business politics. I don't have anything to lose, got it?" He was angry with himself that he lost his cool. "So either you hand me over the Pierce's next investment or my whole life is going to get flushed down the toilet, even without Silas."

With this, he slammed the door into Elijah's face and suddenly, felt the urge to drink again, to wash away the bitter taste from his mouth.

Elena found him sitting on the couch with his tie undone and his feet perched up on the coffee table. There wasn't too much liquid missing from the bottle by the time she reached him and she wasn't too surprised to see that he didn't turn to her when he heard her approaching him.

"How did your meeting with Katherine go?" He asked gruffilygruffly, after several minutes of awkward silence.

"It was good. I just let Katherine to talk about her new amazing outlook of her life and practically, nothing else happened. Though…" She trailed off.

"Though?" Damon finally locked his tired eyes with hers.

"Though she was pretty tense all the time and it didn't help when Elijah stormed in and ignoring me, he instructed her to leave with him."

Damon let a smirk creep up onto his face.

"I won't pretend I feel for him."

Elena stood behind him, with her hips pressed against the back of the couch, expecting Damon to say something else but when he turned back to his staring into his drink, she knew he needed some time for his thoughts alone.

"I'm calling it a night, I'm tired." She said hesitantly.

"Stay." His tone was quiet, almost pleading.

"But you need a moment for yourself." She let her palms slid onto his suit covered shoulders and lifting his hand, he entwined his fingers with hers.

"What I need is you." He replied, tilting his head so their looks could lock.

"Damon…" She let out a tortured sigh. "I'm just screwing your life up…"

"Don't talk, please." He slammed his bottle against the coffee table and stood up. "Come with me." He held his hand out for her and his heart skipped a beat in joy when she brought her trusting warm brown eyes to his and placed her palm into his.

Leading her into the bedroom, he yanked her against his body and he kissed her passionately. His lips caressed hers until she opened up for him so his tongue could sweep inside of her mouth. They tasted each other and again, it felt like that first time in that trashy bar, new and fresh, completely untainted by the outside world. She let her fingers wander into his soft hair, pulling him closer which he accepted with a groan.

"I can't even imagine going on without feeling you like this anymore…" He panted as he pulled away only to latch his lips against the soft skin of her neck, kissing a hot trail of wet kisses up to her earlobe.

"Damon…"

"Shh… not a word. I just want to feel you tonight." He silenced her with a toe curling kiss which made her head spin and her body buzz up with life. Her skin became ultimately sensitive under his skilled fingers, lost in the sensation. She couldn't tell how, but suddenly, he lifted her up and her legs wrapped around his hips. He groaned into her mouth when her hot center met his hardness straining against his pants.

Her back hit the cool material of the white sheets as he laid her down gently and took a second to take in her beauty but before she could utter a word, his lips were sealed to hers once again, his searching fingers becoming impatient. His usually deft hands felt to himself like he was sixteen over again, with his first girl in his bed. With her, everything was new, even if at this point he already knew the pleasure her body could give him.

He took a moment to look in her eyes, so she could see the emotion there in the moonlight and his eyes watered up when she reached up to touch his face with a tender gesture.

This was so different, so strange. There was always a scorching heat, consuming and caging them. But this tenderness, this soft look never appeared on her face before, not even when she was in love with Stefan… no, Damon never saw this look on her before and his heart swelled at the sight. Even if she was still dressed in a polka dotted navy dress, he _saw _her through the layers of clothes.

He reached out, to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before capturing her lips with a kiss and he was stunned, when wrapping her legs around his waist, she urged him to roll them around.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she straddled his hips with a wicked smile. She only pressed her forefinger against his lips before taking her time as after getting rid of her clothes in no time, she slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, placing soft kisses over every inch of newly exposed skin. He let his head fall into the pillow beneath him as his body tried to absorb every received kiss, every teasing lick against his chest, every nip when she reached his flat nipples…

Spreading her fingers over his hot skin, she caressed the shirt down from his shoulders, feeling powerful as she looked down on him from her positionture. Damon didn't even know that giving her this kind of power made her feel free and new. He didn't know that Stefan never let her take control in such situations like this. Damon didn't know that she never felt brave and sexy enough to take what she wanted.

But now, he was laying there, letting her do what she wanted with his body and she felt like a kid in the candy store. She wanted to touch, kiss and lick every inch of his skin. She wanted to worship him as he did to her, to show him how deep she was in all of this along with him.

She lifted her head, after placing a wet kiss over the tantalizing V of his muscles over his hipbone and when she was sure she had his attention, she unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down along with his boxers. He was already hard and thick for her and locking her eyes with Damon's, she took the first teasing lick all over his shaft, from the base to the tip, earning a deep groan from him. His head almost fell against the pillow again from the sensation alone but he couldn't tear his eyes from her.

"You don't have to do that…"

He panted when she first took the head of his erection into her mouth. She didn't even bother answering him. She let her tongue circle the tip before taking him in deeper, hollowing her cheeks as she tried to heighten his pleasure, by sucking at the most sensitive part of his body. She did everything she'd learned from the Cosmopolitan and from the tips of her roommates from the college years ago but never had the courage to do it. She always thought that pleasuring a man this way would be gross. But she felt herself becoming wetter with every lick and every pleasure filled groan that was coming from him as he tried to contain himself. His fist dug deep into the sheets as he lifted his hips carefully, as if gauging her reaction… But the only reaction he got was that she sucked him in deeper, with more passion, more desire, more Elena…

"Elena…" Her name left his lips in an agonized whisper as he felt himself getting closer to the edge. "I don't want to come without you."

She let her fingers slide up on his powerful thighs until they've met at the base of his cock, massaging his balls with unexperienced yet eager touches and his mind went blank. He began thrusting into her mouth, lost in the pleasure she gave him and when he felt the completion come in mind blowing rush, he gripped her shoulders and yanked her mouth away from him.

"What are you doing?" She gasped, feeling wet and sweaty, with her hair clinging to her head in damp tresses.

"I don't want to come like this. Not today." He finished when he saw her frown and disappointment. "Come here…"

He pulled her close, until their chests touched and kissed her with a raw passion which could be never fully satisfied when it came to her. His fingers slid onto her shoulders and lower, until he reached the hard peaks of her breasts, teasing and tugging at them, eliciting a throaty moan from Elena.

She let her head fall back as he kissed his way down her throat until he reached her hardened nipple and slipped it into his mouth. His experts licks brought her back to the moment when he made her come like this and she felt the telltale tightening in her belly in response. Sensing the shift in her mood, he let his fingers slide lower, caressing her thighs before dipping them into the tight heat of her passion.

"God, I want you." She breathed into the damp skin of his shoulder as his fingers curled inside her, making her body react almost violently. She jerked against him and her back bowed under his expert movements as he worked her relentlessly until she couldn't for a coherent thought. The thrusts of his fingers became determined and her body went wild with lust for him. She couldn't stop reacting to him, even if someone had walked into the room at that moment.

Her gaze fell onto him and she licked her lips at the sight. His face was flushed and his eyes glued to her face, to her body and to the point where his fingers were thrusting in and out of her, purposefully avoiding the tiny bundle of nerves where she needed him the most.

"Damon, please… I can't bear it… touch me there…" She pleaded him, teetering on the edge, unable to stop the feeling deep in her belly. She tightened around his fingers, she begged him to stop, to go on, to do something that would free her from this delicious kind of torture and there was something in his eyes she never saw there before. He kissed her, their tongues tangling and wrestling and just when she thought she couldn't stand more teasing, his thumb slid over her clit and then it started. The pleasure rolled over her body with hard quakes, shaking her deep in her core and she wasn't even aware that she was panting his name over and over again, until he brought her to the heights she never knew about before.

Their gazes locked again and she saw the triumph in his eyes, like he knew that no one ever made her feel the passion like this… and deep in her soul she knew he was right. Her thighs parted to accommodate to his hips and he took the message. He moved closer and while her body was still spasming from the pleasure he gave her, he slowly made his way inside her, feeling the delicious strechstretch as her body accepted his thickness and adjusted to him. Holding her above him, his hand went into her dark locks, pulling her into a kiss, letting the passion drive his motions, whispering the words of love while her body prepared for the next orgasm in a surprisingly short time. He was grateful for her being this responsive because he couldn't hold back his release

even if he wanted to.

He jerked against her as he felt her walls fluttering around him and shouting her name into the darkness, he came inside her. He found her lips again, as her cries died down, kissing her lazily in an unhurried pace though his mind was desperate when it slowly wandered back to the reality.

"Damon, what's wrong?" She clung to him as he laid down, pulling her with him, unable to let her go. He sported his gaze on the ceiling, trying to form his thoughts into presentable lines.

"I just discovered that the whole Silas thing is just a tiny detail of a much bigger picture. And also, I might loose everything tomorrow."

"That bad?" She lifted her head from his chest, refusing to let the fear ceepcreep into her. "You know you can tell me everything. You are not alone in this."

"I think I'm going to figure out something…" A smile tugged at his lips as he felt the truth behind her words. He wasn't alone in this. She was willing to stand beside him even if tomorrow he might become a loser without a job and without the respect of his family.

"I know." She let her head fall back on his chest, placing a tiny kiss over his heart. "You always know what to do."

"Yeah, I thought so. But now, I'm not that sure. Mikaelson is a tough guy."

"You are smart too. I have my faith in you." He opened his mouth to speak but she silenced him with a kiss. "I know you have your reservations. But I believe in you and I know there's going to be some solution to save your ass."

"Do you worry about my ass?" He lifted his brows teasingly, enjoying that after everything they experienced, she was still able to blush in his presence.

"Well, you have a fine ass…" She murmured and he let out a throaty laugh at her admission.

"Oh woman, I love you." The words rolled off of his tongue with natural easiness and she kissed him in response, unable to pour her emotion into words.


End file.
